Nationalism and postwar Japanese archaeology

Fawcett, Clare

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511558214.014

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Mass media has played a role in archaeology in Japan since after world war ii (Fawcett 1995;Hudson 2005;Tsude 1995). indeed, it was not unusual that newly discovered archaeological evidence would be published in the social affairs sections of newspapers on a daily basis prior to the Palaeolithic Hoax scandal.…”

Section: The Palaeolithic Hoax Scandalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…indeed, it was not unusual that newly discovered archaeological evidence would be published in the social affairs sections of newspapers on a daily basis prior to the Palaeolithic Hoax scandal. while this heavy commitment of mass media to archaeology enhanced the popularity of archaeology among the public (i.e., "affected groups" [watkins et al 2000 : 41]), as seen in the example of excavations at the Toro site that involved both archaeologists, amateurs, and local volunteers in two years after the end of world war ii (Fawcett 1995), the current relationships among the media, the public, and archaeologists are different from the initial stage of modern Japanese archaeology. Apart from the Palaeolithic artifact scandal, the discussion below is focused on an analysis of the social structure (particularly the status structure) of Japanese archaeology in order to elucidate the specific organizational features and mechanisms that allowed for the creation and acceptance of a fake prehistory.…”

Section: The Palaeolithic Hoax Scandalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3). As government archaeology has dominated research since the 1970s, amateur archaeologists as informants were increasingly sidelined and isolated from academic archaeology (Fawcett 1995;Magara and Tsutsumi 1999 : 27), with the notable exception of the individual Shin'ichi Fujimura who conducted the search for "early Palaeolithic sites. "…”

Section: Academic Archaeology Versus Government Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…while Morse's work influenced the debate on the ethnic origin of ancient Japanese (Oguma 1995 : 20), an aspect of natural science in archaeological methods has not been fairly recognized in modern Japanese archaeology after wwii (Tozawa 1984). Post-world war ii Japanese archaeology is a sub-discipline of national history that was expected to contribute to an establishment of real history (Fawcett 1995). …”

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confidence: 99%

“…Among the major criticisms were both reasonable methodological questions, including the lack of systematic observation and valid techno-typological analysis of lithic artifacts from early Palaeolithic sites, and more sweeping claims that Palaeolithic archaeology or even Japanese archaeology in general was not grounded in science (Normile 2001a). The background of the hoax and its effect on archaeologists and on Japanese prehistory, as well as the results of reinvestigations into the registered early Palaeolithic sites (ikawa-Smith 1982;imamura 1996;Reynolds 1986) Mass media has played a role in archaeology in Japan since after world war ii (Fawcett 1995;Hudson 2005;Tsude 1995). indeed, it was not unusual that newly discovered archaeological evidence would be published in the social affairs sections of newspapers on a daily basis prior to the Palaeolithic Hoax scandal.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Dual Nature in the Creation of Disciplinary Identity: A Socio-historical Review of Palaeolithic Archaeology in Japan

Nakazawa¹

2010

asi

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introductionIn contemporary archaeology, disciplinary identity is not only established by the scholarly activities within a particular scientific community, but also can be framed through transformations in relationships among various social organizations and individuals that are heavily influenced by the historical trajectory of social circumstances. The present article clarifies how this dual nature plays a role in creating disciplinary identity, by explicating how Palaeolithic archaeology in Japan has developed as a scientific discipline. Through a review of last 50 years of Palaeolithic research, changes in the roles of social organizations and individuals are evaluated in the peculiar context of modern Japanese archaeology. palaeolithic research in japan Research HistoryPalaeolithic research in Japan has gone on for more than half a century, since the first recognition of a Pleistocene archaeological site -the iwajuku site, about 90 km north of Tokyo -in 1949 by Tadahiro Aizawa, an amateur archaeologist who found lithic artifacts from Pleistocene sediments in a road profile, followed by an excavation conducted by academic archaeologists from Meiji University in Tokyo (Sugihara 1956; see also Aikens and Higuchi 1982;imamura 1996). The history of research into h uman antiquity in the Pleistocene, however, is much shorter in Japan than in Europe. indeed, European research on what was termed the "Old Stone Age" began in the early to mid-nineteenth century with the discovery of stone tools in association with extinct animals in the Somme Valley of northwestern France by Boucher de Perthes, followed by the recognition of human antiquity by Edouard Lartet and Gabriel de Mortillet among others (Sackett 1981; Trigger 1989 : 90 -99). The first discoveries of Palaeolithic sites in Japan were different from those of Europe in several ways. 232 asian perspectives . 49(2) . fall 2010 First of all, unlike the association of artifacts and extinct animals, the first Pleistocene sites in Japan lacked organic remains. The discoveries of human bones have been restricted to several sites, notably the Minatogawa 1 skeleton in Okinawa island (Baba et al. 1998) and the Hamakita is in Honshu (kondo and Matsu'ura 2005), although in both cases there is no evidence of associated artifacts. The lack of faunal remains in archaeological sites is also common. This is different from terminal Pleistocene sites recovered in North America, where the Folsom points were first discovered in association with bison bones (Meltzer 1983). in Japan, stone artifacts have largely been recovered without other human activity identifiers from Pleistocene sediments, sediments that are often visually distinct from the overlying dark Holocene humic soils (watanabe and Sakagami 1999). The lack of faunal remains from Pleistocene sites is still common in more recent work on the Palaeolithic (Akazawa 1999; Nakazawa and izuho 2006) and this "organically sterile" condition is also generally maintained in later prehistoric sites (i.e., from Jomon and Yayoi periods...

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Section: The Palaeolithic Hoax Scandalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Palaeolithic Hoax Scandalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Academic Archaeology Versus Government Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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