Historiographical Approaches to Past Archaeological Research

Writing the history of archaeology has become increasingly diverse in recent years due to developments in the historiography of the sciences and the humanities. A move away from hagiography and presentations of scientific processes as an inevitable progression has been requested in this context. Historians of archaeology have begun to utilize approved and new historiographical concepts to trace how archaeological knowledge has been acquired as well as to reflect on the historical conditions and contexts in which knowledge has been generated. This volume seeks to contribute to this trend. By linking theories and models with case studies from the nineteenth and twentieth century, the authors illuminate implications of communication on archaeological knowledge and scrutinize routines of early archaeological practices. The usefulness of different approaches such as narratological concepts or the concepts of habitus is thus considered

All the King\u27s Men: Slavery and Soldiering at the Cabrits Garrison (1763-1854)

This dissertation investigates the archaeology of Atlantic world wars and slavery on the island of Dominica during the Age of Revolution (c. 1774-1848). Using archival and archaeological evidence from households at the Cabrits Garrison occupied by lower status personnel in the British army, including enslaved laborers and soldiers of African descent, this study attempts two broad goals: (1) to critically examine the anthropological phenomena of African-Caribbean social formation through a study of settlement patterns and material culture, and (2) to write an archaeological history describing the everyday lives of subordinate groups living within the walls of this fort. My analysis is situated within the longer history of conflict and labor that impacted the formation of colonial communities throughout the Atlantic world between the 18th and 19th centuries. I employ a household level approach using intra-site comparisons and analytical approaches to reconstruct occupational histories and social interactions in a period of changing military labor practices. Findings demonstrate the varied and often contradictory nature of colonial identities at living spaces situated within the conceived landscape of British imperialism. Approaching British fortifications in this manner contributes to black Atlantic military history—a lens that works to represent the diversity of these military communities and the tangible and intangible products of their labor

Images of the 'other': the visual representation of African people as an indicator of socio-cultural values in nineteenth century England

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand. March 1994.This research examines the way in which the ideology of difference is reflected in visual images of black people in Britain in the nineteenth century, Concepts of tlie 'other' ar~iocated within specific contemporary socie-celnnal and political contexts. Historically, this was an important period in which theories of human difference proliferated, and which in turn informed diverse and often contradictory social practices. The white English behavioUl' towards, and perspective of, black people in England had a direct bearing not only on life in Britain, but in the colonies as well. The images produced in England were critical to the colonial enterprise. They infomlt:al Briti~h attitudes to Africa and the Empire more generally. Implicit in the analysis of the images is an evaluation of the emergflllce of hegemonic ideas, and the manipulation of power by the ruling class. The beliefs and trends of a society are reflected in its visual arts. The methodology employed aims to bring together analyses of the production of visual representations within a broad chronological and thematic framework, so as to assess the social production of meaning in the images. To do this it is necessary to verify the presence of black people as residents in England. Chapter one addresses this issue as well as determines to what extent the notion of blackness was integral to an early formation of a black !~~creotype. Some of the implications of British participation in the slave trade are also censldered, Images of slaves which are the main focus of chapter two, demonstrate seclo-eultural attitudes of early nlneteanth-centurv English people. Chapter three examines the rise of science and systematic knowlaJge which fed to both technical and popular theorising about racial difference. The congruence between scientific and popular understandings led to the emergence of notions of 'types' and hierarchies of people, which were to dominate ideas and attitudes for decades. Concurrent with the rise of science was the growth of a popular image of a stereotyped blar.k 'other', Chapter four evaluates the. processes through which these images were disseminated in a fast growing popular culture. The inequalities ()f power relations within English society, as manifest in the images, are analyzed. Chapter five considers the ways in which the white male producers of images perceived black women. The contradictions and ambiguities of the visual systems in this chapter point to the complexities of cultural practice, and of artists and producers' particular views on blackness and femaleness. The conclusion summarises the lIIIay in which the coneept of an 'other' has been used in this dissertation.MT201

Transcending boundaries : the arts of Islam : treasures from the Nassar D. Khalili Collection

This thesis examines and problematizes curatorial decision-making favouring the experiential encounter over interpretative/didactic modes of display when the museum’s mandate is to promote cross-cultural understanding between Muslim and Non‐Muslim communities through displays of Islamic art and culture. Based on a case study of the travelling exhibition The Arts of Islam: Treasures from the Nassar D. Khalili Collection, this investigation traces the journey of a collection of artifacts through four exhibitionary sites (Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Paris, and Amsterdam) from 2007-2011. A central aim of this study is to demonstrate the polysemic nature of artifacts when placed in the museum context by exploring the notion that objects acquire additional meanings as a result of site‐specific curatorial decision‐making. To this end, a theoretical model is developed and applied that profiles how differing practices, procedures and policies of display involve a process of (re)presentation, (re)contextualization, disruption and transformation, affected by and impacting upon particular social, political and cultural nuances in the wider public sphere. A ‘tool box’ approach to analysis is adopted, drawing on a range of theories from the fields of post-colonial studies, museology, and cultural theory. Interviews with a cross-section of stakeholders from exhibition venues provide empirical evidence for the evaluation of the experiences, opinions and perspectives of sponsors, curators and museum audiences who were involved in or attended exhibitions and their related events. Additionally, conversations with museum professionals from a range of prominent institutions are included to allow comparison with the travelling display. In conjunction with findings from primary and secondary sources, discussions will involve reference to museological challenges and dilemmas including: East/West relations historically; Orientalism and practices of Islamic collecting by individuals and organizations; the effects of patronage and sponsorship especially the influence of corporations; the material, aesthetic and commercial properties of the museum object; and questions arising from representations of cultural and aesthetic objects through particular politics of display. These issues are analysed for their interaction with discourse and debates concerning: identity politics, nation building, modernity, governmentality, colonial legacies, multiculturalism, art markets and their collectors, and influence of the media. Final conclusions evaluate the success of these cultural and artistic enterprises and recommendations include the adoption of new museological practices and policies of display that are inclusive of diverse audiences and have the potential to increase cross-cultural understanding on both the local and global level

Colonialisms, post-colonialisms and lusophonies: proceedings of the 4th International Congress in Cultural Studies

Colonialismos e pós-colonialismos são todos diferentes, mesmo quando referidos exclusivamente à situação lusófona. Neste contexto, mais do que procurar boas respostas, importa determinar quais as questões pertinentes aos nossos colonialismos e pós-colonialismos lusófonos. Com efeito, problematizar a própria questão é começar por descolonizar o pensamento. Em nosso entender, esta é uma das tarefas candentes no processo de re-imaginação da Lusofonia, que passa, atualmente, pela procura de um pensamento estratégico que inclua uma reflexão colonialista/pós-colonialista/descolonialista. Esta tarefa primeira, e mesmo propedêutica a qualquer construção gnoseológica, de descolonizar o pensamento hegemónico onde quer que ele se revele, não pode deixar de implicar as academias, centros de produção do saber e do conhecimento da realidade cultural, política e social. Neste sentido, descolonizar o pensamento sobre a Lusofonia passará por colocar em causa e instabilizar o que julgamos já saber e ser como ‘sujeitos lusófonos’, ‘países lusófonos’, ‘comunidades lusófonas’. Trata-se, assim, de instabilizar a uniformidade, mas também as diferenças instituídas, que frequentemente não são mais do que um novo género de cânone integrador e dissolvente da diferença. Por outro lado, não podemos deixar de praticar uma atitude vigilante, de cuidado e suspeição, em face do discurso sobre a diferença irredutível, que pode tornar-se (como no passado) na estéril celebração do exótico. Fazer com que a diferença instabilize o que oficialmente se encontra canonizado como ‘diferença dentro do cânone’, implica negociar e re-inscrever identidades sem inverter dualismos. Uma reflexão pós-colonial no contexto lusófono não pode evitar o exercício da crítica às antigas dicotomias periferia/centro; cosmopolitismo/ruralismo, civilizado/selvagem, negro/branco, norte/sul, num contexto cultural de mundialização, transformado por novos e revolucionários fenómenos de comunicação, que têm também globalizado a marginalidade. A tarefa de re-imaginar a Lusofonia implicará necessariamente a deslocação, inversão ou até implosão, do pensamento dual eurocêntrico, obrigando-nos a repensá-la dentro de uma mais vasta articulação entre local e global

West African Masking Traditions and Diaspora Masquerade Carnivals

A revisionist account of African masquerade carnivals in transnational context that offers readers a unique perspective on the connecting threads between African cultural trends and African American cultural artifacts In recent decades, there has been an explosion of scholarly interest in African-styled traditions and the influence of these traditions upon the African diaspora. In this important new analysis, author Raphael Njoku explores the transnational connections between masquerade narratives and memory over the past four centuries to show how enslaved Africans became culture carriers of inherited African traditions. In doing so, he questions the scholarly predisposition toward ethnicization of African cultural artifacts in the Americas. As Njoku's research shows, the practices reenacted by the Igbo and Bight of Biafra modelers in the Americas were not exact replicas of the African prototypes. Cultural modeling is dynamic, and the inheritors of West African traditions often adapted their customs to their circumstances--altering and transforming the meaning and purpose of the customs they initially represented. With the Bantu migrations serving as a catalyst for ethnic mixing and change prior to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, African-themed cultural activities in the New World became dilutions of practices from several ethnic African and European nations. African cultures were already experiencing changes through Bantuization; in this well-researched and engagingly written scholarly work, the author explores the extension of this process beyond the African continent. This book is openly available in digital formats thanks to a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire explores how different writers across Lusophone spaces have engaged with imperial and colonial power at its various levels of domination, while imagining alternatives to dominant discourses pertaining to race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, and class. Guided by a theoretically eclectic approach ranging from Psychoanalysis, Deconstruction, Postcolonial Theory, Queer Theory, and Critical Race Studies, Empire is explored as a spectrum of contemporary global power inaugurated by European expansion and propagated in the postcolonial present through economic, cultural, and political forces. Through the texts analysed, Anti-Empire offers in-depth interrogations of contemporary power in terms of racial politics, gender performance, socio-economic divisions, political structures, and the intersections of these facets of domination and hegemony. By way of grappling with Empire’s discursive field and charting new modes of producing meaning in opposition to that of Empire, the texts read from Brazil, Cabo Verde, East Timor, Portugal, and São Tomé and Príncipe open new inquiries for Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies while contributing theoretical debates to the study of Lusophone cultures