Archaeological Ethnographies

Heritage and Community in the Mediterranean and Beyond

Peter van Dommelen

ANTH 1126 S01 (CRN 16442)
M 3.00 - 5.20 pm, Rhode Island Hall 008

Archaeologists study objects and (socio-cultural) anthropologists investigate culture is how stereotype and conventions have long had it. As material culture studies have increasingly blurred these boundaries, the distinction is entirely meaningless when it comes to archaeological heritage. Archaeological remains, or the material heritage more generally, are after all not just objects or ruins from the past, but they also represent material culture that is part of and exists in the present.

Working from this basic premise and taking its cue from material culture studies, this course explores how famous archaeological sites have been and in many cases continue to be used in nationalist representations or feature prominently in tourist and other commercial publicity. Much lesser known sites or even single archaeological objects may be equally important for communities to stake out their connections with a local past and may have become part and parcel of people’s daily lives to affirm their contemporary identity. Conversely, expansionist, dictatorial and colonial regimes have seized on the past to legitimize their dominant position and maintain their grasp of power.

Overall, this course explores how elites and regimes make use of and how local communities experience material remains from the past. Focusing on the mismatches and contrasts between the strategies and approaches adopted, we examine the ways and means developed by governments and local people alike to (re)incorporate the past and its material remains into their contemporary policies and lives. In thematically focused seminars, we investigate a wide range of case studies that concentrate on the Mediterranean but may usefully be compared and contrasted to situations from around the globe. We will thus examine iconic sites like the Athenian Akropolis and Great Zimbabwe but also zoom in on lesser-known locales.

Practical Information

Instructor: Peter van Dommelen (peter_van_dommelen@brown.edu)
Rhode Island Hall, room 009 (basement)
Office hours: Wed-Fri,11-12
Course blog: http://blogs.brown.edu/anth-1126-s01/

Reading and Text Books

You are required to read three to four papers every week as listed in Canvas and to make regular contributions to the course blog. Journal articles and book chapters will be made available as pdfs; two highly recommended text books are

Meskell, L. (ed.) 1998: Archaeology under Fire. Nationalism, Politics, and Heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. London: Routledge.
Rowan, Y. and U. Baram (eds) 2004: Marketing Heritage. Archaeology and the Consumption of the Past. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.

ANTH1126 Fall14 S01 Archeological Ethnographies: Heritage and Community in the Mediterranean