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Archaeology of Indigenous-Colonial Interactions in the Americas
Decolonizing Indigenous Histories: Exploring Prehistoric/Colonial Transitions in Archaeology
Decolonizing Indigenous Histories makes a vital contribution to the decolonization of archaeology by recasting colonialism within long-term indigenous histories. Showcasing case studies from Africa, Australia, Mesoamerica, and North and South America, this edited volume highlights the work of archaeologists who study indigenous peoples and histories at multiple scales.
The contributors explore how the inclusion of indigenous histories, and collaboration with contemporary communities and scholars across the subfields of anthropology, can reframe archaeologies of colonialism. The cross-cultural case studies employ a broad range of methodological strategies—archaeology, ethnohistory, archival research, oral histories, and descendant perspectives—to better appreciate processes of colonialism. The authors argue that these more complicated histories of colonialism contribute not only to understandings of past contexts but also to contemporary social justice projects.
In each chapter, authors move beyond an academic artifice of “prehistoric” and “colonial” and instead focus on longer sequences of indigenous histories to better understand colonial contexts. Throughout, each author explores and clarifies the complexities of indigenous daily practices that shape, and are shaped by, long-term indigenous and local histories by employing an array of theoretical tools, including theories of practice, agency, materiality, and temporality.
Included are larger integrative chapters by Kent Lightfoot and Patricia Rubertone, foremost North American colonialism scholars who argue that an expanded global perspective is essential to understanding processes of indigenous-colonial interactions and transitions.
The contributors explore how the inclusion of indigenous histories, and collaboration with contemporary communities and scholars across the subfields of anthropology, can reframe archaeologies of colonialism. The cross-cultural case studies employ a broad range of methodological strategies—archaeology, ethnohistory, archival research, oral histories, and descendant perspectives—to better appreciate processes of colonialism. The authors argue that these more complicated histories of colonialism contribute not only to understandings of past contexts but also to contemporary social justice projects.
In each chapter, authors move beyond an academic artifice of “prehistoric” and “colonial” and instead focus on longer sequences of indigenous histories to better understand colonial contexts. Throughout, each author explores and clarifies the complexities of indigenous daily practices that shape, and are shaped by, long-term indigenous and local histories by employing an array of theoretical tools, including theories of practice, agency, materiality, and temporality.
Included are larger integrative chapters by Kent Lightfoot and Patricia Rubertone, foremost North American colonialism scholars who argue that an expanded global perspective is essential to understanding processes of indigenous-colonial interactions and transitions.
- GenresArchaeology
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2012
31 people want to read
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August 12, 2017
3 stars just because I didn't read every chapter. I enjoyed what I did read, but it was a deeper dive into archeology than I was expecting. (My own fault, but still.)
The constant theme throughout the book is that indigenous peoples didn't stop growing socially/culturally just because of conquest; in fact several American cultures had experienced previous colonialist empires before Europeans arrived. People and societies adapt and change over time. Historical expectations should be built around that idea instead of centering European settlers. Don't diminish people's agency because of your stereotypes about them. Be aware that assimilation pressures have legal consequences for indigenous peoples. Focusing on scholarship dominated by white voices instead of being attentive to material culture and oral history means you're going to miss a lot of important information.
The constant theme throughout the book is that indigenous peoples didn't stop growing socially/culturally just because of conquest; in fact several American cultures had experienced previous colonialist empires before Europeans arrived. People and societies adapt and change over time. Historical expectations should be built around that idea instead of centering European settlers. Don't diminish people's agency because of your stereotypes about them. Be aware that assimilation pressures have legal consequences for indigenous peoples. Focusing on scholarship dominated by white voices instead of being attentive to material culture and oral history means you're going to miss a lot of important information.
Displaying 1 of 1 review