Individual Creativity, Instrumental Symbolism, and the Constituents of Social Identity Construction

Author(s): Christopher Fennell

Year: 2013

Summary

This presentation applies theories concerning the role of individual creativity and innovation, modes of symbolic expression, and formation of social group identities to analyze the past creation and use of material expressions of symbols within the diasporas of particular African cultures. Utilizing archaeological and historical evidence, I explore the divergent ways these creative processes played out at sites in South America, the Caribbean, and North America. The perseverance and creativity of people subjected to terrible adversities in the past provide heartening instances of individual and cultural accomplishments. Archaeologists are privileged to uncover and honor the material traces of those past moments. In addition to insights available from documentary and oral history records, the material expressions of key cultural elements offer significant indicators of individual creativity and the incremental developments of new social group identities.

Cite this Record

Individual Creativity, Instrumental Symbolism, and the Constituents of Social Identity Construction. Christopher Fennell. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Leicester, England, U.K. 2013 ( tDAR id: 428599)

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Keywords

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 241