Toward a Theory of Dispersal as an Adaptive Strategy: Adoption, Migration, and Cultural Survival in the Archaeological Record

Summary

Dispersal of human populations is often perceived as synonymous with abandonment and collapse. Alternatively, cross-cultural studies of historic and contemporary dispersal suggest it should instead be considered a strategic adaptation to external pressures. I argue that strategic dispersal represents a conscious, purposeful transformation of social and cultural structures in the face of bifurcation, resulting in cultural continuity and the selective adoption of external cultural traits and materials. This phenomenon is visible through the archaeological record; however, the most productive way in which to examine strategic dispersal and cultural entanglements is through a synthesis of the archaeological and ethnohistoric records. Utilizing ethnohistorical, ethnographic, and archaeological data from the Americas, West Africa, and Madagascar, this paper examines several case studies, exploring strategies of dispersal as mechanisms of cultural self-preservation in the face of colonial violence and cultural entanglement. Insights derived from this review are then used to contextualize the 17th-century dispersal of the Huron-Wendat from their homeland in Ontario, Canada. The results of this study offer a new way to conceptualize strategies of migration and cultural integration, and the ways in which people negotiate social, ideological, and economic spheres in the face of colonial entanglements.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage