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At the end of the 20th Century, archaeologists from non-Anglo-American countries started to become vocal about the "traditional" interpretations of history that archaeology was making. The "traditional" archaeology came from the predominantly white, male archaeologists from England and the United States going to other countries and interpreting the material culture from their point of view. This, of course, is still happening but is becoming less acceptable nor accepted by the global world of archaeology.
The goal of this volume is to use archaeological case studies from around the world to evaluate the implications of providing alternative interpretations of the past. These cases also address key questions such as: Can multivocality (multiple interpretations of the past) be separate from the theory of contemporary Anglo-American archaeology; is multivocality relevant to local residents and non-Anglo-American archaeologists; and can the close examination of alternative interpretations contribute to a deeper understanding of subjectivity and objectivity of archaeological interpretation?
The contributors are at the forefront of archaeological theory research and the commentators are eminent archaeological theoreticians. This volume will also contribute to the debate about the social and political implications of archaeological practice.
List of contents
Operationalizing Multivocality.- Introduction: Evaluating Multiple Narratives: Beyond Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist Archaeologies.- An Ethical Epistemology of Publicly Engaged Biocultural Research.- Multivocality and Indigenous Archaeologies.- Making a Home: Archaeologies of the Medieval English Village.- Critical Histories of Archaeological Practice: Latin American and North American Interpretations in a Honduran Context.- Paths of Power and Politics: Historical Narratives at the Bolivian Site of Tiwanaku.- Evaluating Multiple Narratives in Various Regional and Historical Settings.- Science or Narratives? Multiple Interpretations of the Sannai Maruyama Site, Japan.- Multivocality, Multifaceted Voices, and Korean Archaeology.- Virtual Viewpoints: Multivocality in the Marketed Past?.- Alternative States.- Irish Archaeology and the Recognition of Ethnic Difference in Viking Dublin.- Discussion.- "Alternative Archaeologies" in Historical Perspective.- Multivocality and Social Archaeology.- The Integrity of Narratives: Deliberative Practice, Pluralism, and Multivocality.
Summary
and can the close examination of alternative interpretations contribute to a deeper understanding of subjectivity and objectivity of archaeological interpretation?The contributors are at the forefront of archaeological theory research and the commentators are eminent archaeological theoreticians.
