Misinformation and Misrepresentation Part 1: Reconsidering “Human Sacrifice,” Religion, Slavery, Modernity, and Other European-Derived Concepts

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Misinformation and Misrepresentation Part 1: Reconsidering “Human Sacrifice,” Religion, Slavery, Modernity, and Other European-Derived Concepts" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This session examines how European-derived analytical concepts that have gained academic legitimacy and given rise to particular methods of understanding have fostered misleading claims, ideas, images, and narratives about ancient Mesoamerica. The presentations reconsider and reevaluate concepts that have gained ground as valid sources of insight into conditions, motivations, and representations in civilizations and societies of the past. Although Mesoamerica figures importantly in this session, the discussion of the prevalent use of European-derived analytical concepts and how usage impacts our understanding of ancient cultures is pertinent to all archaeologists working in non-European contexts.