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Archaeology in 2022: Counter‐myths for hopeful futures

Berihuete‐Azorín, Marian ; Blackmore, Chelsea ; Borck, Lewis ; Flexner, James L. ; Frieman, Catherine J. ; Herrmann, Corey A. ; Kiddey, Rachael

American anthropologist, 2024-03, Vol.126 (1), p.135-148 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

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  • Title:
    Archaeology in 2022: Counter‐myths for hopeful futures
  • Author: Berihuete‐Azorín, Marian ; Blackmore, Chelsea ; Borck, Lewis ; Flexner, James L. ; Frieman, Catherine J. ; Herrmann, Corey A. ; Kiddey, Rachael
  • Subjects: Ambiguity ; Anarchism ; anarchist archaeologies ; Archaeologists ; Archaeology ; capitalism ; climate disaster ; Collaboration ; colonialism ; counter‐narrative ; Decolonization ; Future ; futures ; Human nature ; Local knowledge ; Migration ; multispecies ; myth ; Mythology ; Public sphere ; Racism ; Social order
  • Is Part Of: American anthropologist, 2024-03, Vol.126 (1), p.135-148
  • Description: Archaeology in 2022 features more calls than ever for a socially and politically engaged, progressive discipline. Archaeologists increasingly respect and integrate decolonizing and Indigenous knowledge in theory and practice. They acknowledge and embrace the fluidity and diversity of sexes and genders, past and present. They document patterns of migration, ancient as well as contemporary, to combat retrograde and racist narratives that remain pervasive in the public sphere. At the same time, the field has a deep‐seated conservative bastion toward which many scholars retreat, arguing for an “objective” past that is free of political implications or interpretive ambiguity. As anarchist archaeologists, we see the myth of the objective past as one of many interconnected myths that have provided the basis for an archaeology that reifies and proliferates the current social order. We deconstruct myths relating to capitalist and colonialist ideologies of “human nature,” the assumed inevitability of the current order, and fatalistic commitment to dystopian or utopian futures. As alternatives, we present counter‐myths that emphasize the contingent and political nature of archaeological praxis, the creative and collaborative foundation of communities, the alternative orders that archaeology uncovers, and the role of a hopeful past for constructing the possibilities of different futures. Resumen La arqueología en 2022 destaca más llamadas que nunca por una disciplina progresiva, social y políticamente comprometida. Arqueólogos crecientemente respetan e integran conocimientos descolonizadores e indígenas. Reconocen y acogen la fluidez y la diversidad de los sexos y géneros, el pasado y el presente. Documentan patrones de migración, tanto antiguos como contemporáneos, para combatir narrativas retrogradas y racistas que permanecen prevalentes en la esfera pública. Al mismo tiempo, el campo tiene un bastión conservador muy arraigado hacia el cual muchos investigadores se repliegan, argumentando un pasado objetivo que es libre de implicaciones políticas y ambigüedad interpretativa. Como arqueólogos anarquistas, vemos el mito del pasado objetivo como uno de los mitos interconectados que han proveído las bases para una arqueología que reifica y prolifera el orden social actual. Deconstruimos mitos relacionados a las ideologías capitalistas y colonialistas de “naturaleza humana”, la asumida inevitabilidad del orden actual, y el compromiso fatalista a los futuros distópicos o utópicos. Como alternativas, presentamos contramitos que enfatizan la naturaleza contingente y política de la praxis arqueológica, la fundación creativa y colaborativa de las comunidades, los órdenes alternativos que la arqueología descubre, y el rol de un pasado esperanzador para construir las posibilidades de futuros diferentes. [arqueologías anarquistas, mitos, contranarrativas, capitalismo, colonialismo, desastre climático, migración, multiespecies, futuros]
  • Publisher: Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
  • Language: English
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