Will Historical Archaeology Escape its Western Prejudices to Become Relevant to Africa?

Summary

The African continent presents poignant issues for historical archaeology as it has been framed in the West. Definitions linked to literacy and colonialism ignore the historical experiences of many Africa people before these distinctly Western and far Eastern phenomena took hold on the continent. If much of the African historical experience is left on the margins of our practice, then what questions are relevant for the future? The first question is how may historical archaeology enrich the lives of everyday Africans by exploring topics that expand their sense of history? Since most teaching of history in Africa starts with the colonial experience, how may historical archaeology remedy this tragically limited treatment to create a deeper handling of history? How may historical archaeology develop perspectives that teach young Africans that their history is more than slavery and being dominated by a colonial presence? How may historical archaeology work in conjunction with other historical representations such as oral traditions to build more nuanced histories of the past? And, how may historical archaeology escape the bounds of implicit racism in its denial of African historicity before literacy? Without responsive answers to these questions, historical archaeology is headed to irrelevance for most African practitioners of archaeology

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Questions that Will Count in the Future: Global Perspectives on Historical Archaeology

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-7,22