Local Pride and Prejudice: Public Archaeology, Archaeological Heritage Management, and Authorized Discourse in Japan

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

For almost two decades, Japanese archaeology has fostered discourse on public archaeology and initiatives that involve the public in archaeological practices. This development coincides with a shift in cultural resource management policies that emphasize and expand the role of cultural properties within communities. Based on a discourse analysis of the academic corpus on public archaeology in Japan, this presentation explores the practice’s ideological foundations and its relationship with national narratives concerning heritage. This analysis identifies a dominant model of community-oriented practices within Japanese archaeology aligned with neoliberal heritage policies. Local communities are addressed primarily through educational and promotional initiatives aimed at encouraging civic pride and economic development. While the engagement of local communities in archaeological practices has increased in recent years, the findings indicate that there are relatively fewer examples that diverge from dominant narratives concerning strengthening national and local identity. These trends have serious implications for contested heritage in Japan, especially concerning ethnic minorities and the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan. The distinct discourse accompanying the recent promotion of Ainu culture is indicative of the barriers to the development of Indigenous archaeology in Japan.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37346.0