A Critical Archaeology Revisited

Abstract

In 1987, a small number of historical archaeologists issued a call for archaeologists to embrace the teachings of critical theory so that their research could be used to challenge societal structures of inequality. Although community partnering, an outgrowth of critical theory, has become increasingly important to archaeolog ical practice, a true archaeological "praxis" has yet to be achieved. Possible reasons for this include a decontextualization of critical theory from its historical origin, the subsequent reifi• cation of capitalism in critical lesearch, and the obscuring of agency in critical interpretations because of an emphasis on top down or macIOscale models of society. We suggest that true praxis can be achieved in historical archaeology through a recon ceptualization of the lelationship between individuals and soci ety and through a structuring of archaeological research that seeks to create a discursive relationship between past and pre sent peoples and between researchers and community partners. We present a critically informed archaeological case study from Louisiana to demonstlate how such a dialogue can lead to eman icipatory knowledge.

Archaeology and identity politics. A cross-disciplinary perspective

“…Hodder 1983; Leone 1981; Shanks and Tilley 1987, 201-8;Tilley 1989;Wilkie and Bartoy 2000;Wurst 1999;Wylie 1992). As Randall McGuire (1994, 182) discussion has argued, 'If we recognize that the pasts we study are the pasts of living communities, then we must also recognize an obligation to serve the interests of these communities.…”

Engendered and Feminist Archaeologies of the Recent and Documented Pasts

“…Facilitating public and descendant interaction as part of archaeological practice also has been a hallmark of feminist historical archaeology (e.g., Edwards-Ingram, 2001;Franklin, 1997bWilkie and Bartoy, 2000). Franklin (1997b has explicitly tied public archaeology and community partnering to a feminist agenda, recognizing that third-wave feminism offers a powerful tool for engaging in discourses about race and gender inequalities.…”

Shopping with Karl: Commodity Fetishism and the Materiality of Marx’s London

“…He asked how social actors implicate themselves in capitalist social relations through the practice of exchange. Leone (1999:16-17) introduced the concept of commodity fetishism to historical archaeology a decade ago, arguing for its centrality in any archaeology of capitalism, but it has been little discussed in favor of the more vigourous debates over ideology, agency, domination, and resistance (Leone 1984;Beaudry et al 1991;Orser 1996;Wilkie and Bartoy 2000). Historical archaeologists interested in issues of class, capitalism, and materiality often draw on Marxian thinking to analyze and interpret the material culture of the last 500 years of European conquest and the various responses to that conquest (Patterson 2008:146-149).…”