ANTHRO 2211 - Archaeology and Heritage

Prof. Bill Fash
W 9:00 AM - 11:45 AM

The links between archaeology, cultural heritage, identity, and nation building have been vital to archaeological practice since the origins of the discipline. The uses and abuses of archaeology by state actors over the past century have been criticized by all manner of social scientists, journalists, local communities and indigenous peoples in countries across the globe, in dozens of books, hundreds of articles, including in The International Journal of Heritage Studies. Archaeological practice and heritage management continue to be the topic of lively theoretical, political and legal debates by multiple stakeholders with competing claims to the past and the lasting legacies--both tangible, and intangible--of earlier cultural traditions. The ideological uses and commodification of archaeological heritage by diverse factions has led many archaeologists to become actively involved in creating sustainable solutions that promote responsible heritage stewardship in this dynamic context. The members of the seminar will read and discuss theoretical schema, practice and critiques from the Americas and the Old World in examining innovative approaches to archaeological heritage management. The focus in this seminar will be on finding a ‘third way’ to address the valid claims of local communities and indigenous peoples, vis-à-vis the ways central governments construct their own origin myths and legitimation of the state through archaeological research and its presentation to the public.