Who Needs the Past?
Indigenous Values and Archaeology
Published on 24. November 1988
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-04-445020-7 (ISBN)
Description
This book springs from discussions on the theme of "Archaeological Objectivity in Interpretation", organized by P.J.Ucko and is one of a major series of more than 20 volumes resulting from the the World Archaeological Congress, September 1986. The aim of the discussions was to focus attention on the way that the past has been used and viewed by particular groups, whether local, regional or national. The Congress addressed world archaeology in its widest sense. Central to a world archaeological approach is the investigation not only of how people lived in the past but also of how and why changes took place resulting in the forms of society and culture which exist today. These essays analyze different frameworks for understanding the past, drawn from a variety of contexts including the modern Americas, Aboriginal Australia, the Arctic, Europe, Cameroon, Madagascar and India, as well as ancient Greece and Egypt. The conclusions reached reflect the view that the past is indeed a foreign country and by honouring the importance of all attempts to explore it, it will constitute a very important statement about the common humanity of humankind.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
half-tones, bibliography, index
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 150 mm
Weight
563 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-04-445020-7 (9780044450207)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Introduction - who needs the past?, Robert Layton; A child's perspective on the past - influences of home, media and school, Kathy Emmott; Inuit perceptions of the past, Jack Anawak; Hadzabe perceptions of their past; an 11th century literary reference to prehistoric times in India, Deena Bandhu Pandey; understanding Yolngu signs of the past, Nancy M.Williams and Daymbalipu Mununggurr; geography and historical understanding in indigenous Colombia, Joanne Rappaport; past and present of Andean Indian society - the Otovalos, Antonio Males; oral tradition and the African past, Patrick Mbunwe-Samba; classical Greek attitudes to the past, Brian Sparkes; Ancient Egyptian concepts and uses of the past - 3rd and 2nd millennium BC evidence, John Baines; beginning of agriculture - a synchronism between Puranic and archaeological evidence, Rai Gyan Narain Prasad; holding on to emblems - Australian Aboriginal performances and the transmission of oral traditions, Margaaret Clunies Ross; perceptions of the past among north Queensland Aboriginal people - the intrusion of Europeans and consequent social change, A.K.Chase; the past as perceived by the Bali Nyonga people of Camaroon, Elias Nwana; archaeology and oral traditions in the Mitongoa-Andrainjato area, Victor Raharijaona; interpretations and uses of the past in modern Britain and Europe, Peter G.Stone.