Archaeology as Political Action (review)
Rent from DeepDyve- Archaeology as Political Action
Good to think that archaeology might contribute to a more humane world. This seems not impossible where collaboration between imperialist and former victim is managed without some degree of condescension (very difficult to achieve or disguise), and really only where place and time still seem relevant. This is true of U.S. archaeologists in Mexico or farther south, which is the paradigm offered here. It is less obvious in Old World archaeology and barely true of any prehistory lying beyond the identification of contemporary "races." While political and ideological, even imperialist, views have colored the historical interpretation of archaeology in the past, they have rarely affected presentation of evidence, and not seriously its immediate interpretation; and these are the archaeologist-as-scholar's prime responsibilities. His engagement with the public at large is important but strictly limited and probably not at all ideological; and where it is, scholarly integrity is easily threatened. It is arguable that archaeology in the broadest sense is the senior of all academic disciplines, so it must be aware of its responsibilities. [End Page 150]
Sir John Boardman is Lincoln Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology Emeritus at Oxford University and a fellow of the British Academy. His books include The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity, The History of Greek Vases, The World of Ancient Art, and (as editor) the Oxford History of Classical Art.
