Colonial Archaeology and Deep Time Media: A Case Study from Hokkaido, Japan

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

As the study of past human activity through the analysis of artifactual data, archaeology involves the excavation of materials, digging deep into the earth to unveil pottery, house foundations, and animal remains. By excavating deep into the earth, the past time of human history is recreated, but only through the eyes of archaeologists and a public who concerns themselves with their work. Through the interpretation and display of archaeological artifacts and data, I argue that these artifacts constitute a form of deep time media, taken from the deep time of the earth and used for our own modern day purposes. By applying Krämer’s (2015) media studies philosophy of messengers and traces to the archaeological record, I look at how archaeological materials are the result of traces being left behind that are then interpreted through the social and political context of the archaeologist, particularly within the context of the Indigenous Ainu of Hokkaido. This paper explores narratives used by the Japanese Empire concerning the Ainu to legitimize first their national and colonial projects.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38738.0