Archaeology Discussion

The Racism Behind Alien Mummy Hoaxes

https://www(dot)theatlantic(dot)com/science/archive/2017/08/how-to-fake-an-alien-mummy/535251/

NATIONALISM AND ARCHAEOLOGY: On the Constructions of Nations and the Reconstructions of the Remote Past

https://moodle(dot)umass(dot)edu/pluginfile.php/1903852/mod_resource/content/1/Kohl%201998.pdf?forcedownload=1



Please read the question below and answer it using 300 to 400 words. This answer will serve as the basis for discussion in section this week, and you should give your written answer to your TA at the end of section. Written work will not be accepted after your discussion section has ended.

Your answer will be evaluated on whether or not it shows an understanding of the topic (as presented in lectures and readings) and whether or not it shows that you have taken some time to think about the question. Do not write more than 400 words.

In your answer, you should make use of the assigned readings and lectures, as well as other information to which you have access. You should show that you are using the readings by making reference to them in your answer. To do this, you can use “in-text citations.” That kind of citation looks like this:

Although many people think that archaeology is all about treasure-hunting, archaeologists don't go looking for treasure, but for information (Ashmore and Sharer 2003: 11).

(Please don't use footnotes or endnotes)

If you make reference to any work (book, article, website, etc.) that is not assigned for this class, please list it at the end of your answer in a “References Cited” section. Do not list the readings that are assigned for this class. The words in the “References Cited” section do not count toward your 300-400 word assignment.

A note about quotations: do not use a quotation that is longer than five words in your essay. If you want to bring in an idea from something you have read, use your own words to explain it, and then put in a citation, so your TA knows where the idea came from.

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This week and last you have read articles and book chapters by Ashmore and Sharer (2003), Wengrow (2010), Kohl (1998), and Heaney (2017) on the relationship between archaeology, politics, and popular culture.

In their introduction, Ashmore and Sharer state that archaeologists ask questions about who we are as humans, and why we act the way that we do—that archaeology is about the desire to know more about ourselves.

Wengrow argues that people in the West have used the concept and characterization of civilization for centuries as rationale and justification for imperialism. Wengrow uses archaeology to counter Huntington's idea that there were always multiple and isolated civilizations, with incompatible beliefs and clear boundaries, and that these old boundaries are where the world will be pulled apart today.

Kohl reviews the ways archaeology has been used in the process of constructing nations and identities.

And Heaney explores the disturbing pseudoscientific use of Andean mummies in a recent documentary.

For this assignment, use these four readings to discuss how archaeology makes a difference in the way we think about ourselves and our world. What are positive and negative uses of archaeology? Why is pseudoarchaeology problematic and dangerous?