Essential Tensions in Archaeological Theory and Practice

Why do we do archaeology? For whom do we do it? How best can it be done?
Whether we are seeking to generate new archaeological knowledge of the past or to engage in more meaningful relations with descendant communities, these are essential questions in aid of achieving a more representative, relevant, and responsible archaeology.

At the same time, there are formidable challenges to face owing to the competing needs of stakeholders, the sometimes radical differences between Western and Indigenous conceptions of heritage, and questions of who should benefit from archaeological knowledge. In this presentation I discuss some of the challenges we today face in developing a postcolonial archaeology that engages more fully and fairly with descendant communities, as well as why the tensions that exist both within and out-side the discipline are essential to pushing archaeology forward. I provide examples drawn from my work in the realms of Indigenous archaeology, intellectual property, and community-based research on tangible and intangible heritage.

George Nicholas is Professor of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. He was
founding director of SFU's Indigenous Archaeology Program in Kamloops, BC (1991-2005). Nicholas is director of the international research initiative "Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage: Theory, Practice, Policy," a 7-year initiative funded by SSHRC Canada (www.sfu.ca/ipinch). His research focuses on Indigenous archaeology, intellectual property issues relating to archaeology, the archaeology and human ecology of wetlands, and archaeological theory, on all of which he has published widely. He is series co-editor of the World Archaeological Congress' Research Handbooks in Archaeology, and former editor of the Canadian Journal of Archaeology. His most recent book is Being and Becoming Indigenous Archaeologists (Left Coast, 2010).

Speaker: George Nicholas, Professor, Archaeology, Simon Fraser University