Smith, L. (2001) Archaeology and the governance of material culture: a case study from south-eastern Australia. Norwegian Archaeological Review, 34 (2). pp. 97-105. ISSN 0029-3652
Abstract
What are the consequences of using the discourse of archaeological knowledge in cultural heritage management (CHM)? In this article the inter-relationship of archaeological theory and practice, CHM and the politics of identity is analysed, using as a case study the history of archaeological and CHM practice in south-eastern Australia. A critical reading of Foucault's 'govemmentality' thesis illustrates how archaeological knowledge has come to play a role in the regulation and arbitration of Aboriginal cultural identity in south-eastern Australia. In effect, archaeological knowledge becomes mobilized by public policy-makers as a 'technology of government' and becomes implicated in the governance of cultural identity. Further consequences of this process are that material culture, as 'heritage', becomes a resource of power in the politics of identity and archaeological practice, and theory itself, becomes regulated, or 'governed', by its inclusion in CHM.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | York RAE Import |
Date Deposited: | 12 Mar 2009 12:13 |
Last Modified: | 12 Mar 2009 12:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Scandinavian University Press |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:7128 |