Rethinking Hinterlands in Polynesia

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Rethinking Hinterlands in Polynesia," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This session explores how recent archaeological research on geographically marginal or socially liminal places, often referred to as hinterlands, can be applied to studies of regional dynamics in Polynesia. Attempts to chart social histories in Polynesia have frequently emphasized large islands with broad river valleys. Such areas are often considered heartlands or "core" regions within regional socio-political and economic networks. Models of social and cultural change based on investigations of central places have often been broadly applied across islands and archipelagoes. Archaeologists across the discipline have begun to prioritize areas outside central places as important subjects for understanding variability at the regional scale. Many now see hinterlands, once defined by their roles in resource extraction and considered places of cultural stagnation, as potential loci of dynamic social negotiation. The papers in this session address the applicability of hinterland studies to Polynesian archaeology. We explore which social, economic, political, or ideological attributes define a hinterland, as well as which characteristics distinguish such places from core regions. Moreover, we ask how people living in hinterland areas might have actively negotiated social relationships with elites and others occupying core regions. Together, these papers illustrate the importance of dynamism and regional diversity in Polynesia.