Archaeology of Smoking Behaviors on Putlic Parks of Santiago, Chile

Summary

Cigarettes are the most numerous, ubiquitous, and tolerated form of trash on the urban landscape (Graesch & Hartshorn 2014:1). This statement has special meaning in Chile, leading country in cigarette consumption in the continent, especially between women and youngsters. Current approaches in the study of this phenomenon are based on interviews, but no material study has yet been conducted. Considering the differences between people´s discourses and actions, along with the abundance and high rate reproduction of cigarettes in the urban landscape, archaeology may provide an alternative approach to assess the smoking behavior(s). On this basis, it is a fertile ground for developing a study with a contemporary archaeological scope, particularly considering that the main weakness of tobacco consumption programs is monitoring. In this paper we present the results of an archaeological project targeted on the material dimension of smoking practices in public parks of Santiago. We analyze how the material information interplays with that from interviews, socio economic statistics, and the geographical location of educational centers. Finally, we discuss how a national scale archaeological project may be implemented. FONDECYT #11160404.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16319