A Social History of Brazilian Archaeology: A Case Study

Abstract

The role of archaeology and material culture in general, in the construction and legitimation of cultural identities, has become central in archaeological theory and practice over the last few years (Jones 1997). The relationship between archaeology and the construction of identities has been at the heart of the discipline from the start, in the nineteenth century, but it was only with contextual, postprocessual approaches that a critical assessment of this relationship became common. The World Archaeological Congress and its emphasis on the socio-politics of archaeology played a vital role in this (Ucko 1995). However, the growth of nationalism in Europe and elsewhere in the world, and the spread of globalisation as a popular interpretive framework, has contributed to the realisation that identity building and material culture were to be interpreted are inextricably interrelated.

Keywords

• social history
• identity
• postprocessualism
• WAC
• nationalism