Archaeology and the Postcolonial Critique

The contributors to this volume critically survey the politics and practice of archaeology globally. They look closely at both the promise and reality of 'postcolonial' archaeology, offering a significant set of critiques and questions; they ask, for example, Is the 'post' in postcolonial is really justified? Archaeology and the Postcolonial Critique presents a new and inspiring group of voices from a younger generation of scholars determined to make a difference. -- Lynn Meskell, Stanford University
Archaeology and the Postcolonial Critique, edited by Matthew Liebmann and Uzma Rizvi, is the most important theoretical treatment of postcolonial thought to arrive on the archaeological scene since the postcolonial critique gained multidisciplinary popularity during the 1980's.... ARchaeology and the Postcolonial Critique is one of those rare, measured volumes tht comes along every decade or so to lead us to new theoretical pathways. It is well reasoned, balanced, and above all pragmatic in its grounding of theory in marvelous case studies that make vibrant the importance of postcolonial thinking in decolonizing archaeology, wherever it is practiced across the globe. -- Peter R. Schmidt, 2010 * American Antiquity *
The authors and editors ofArchaeology and the Postcolonial Critique offer perspectives from regions often under-represented in Western publications. The case studies in the work provide broader examinations than the 'Western' reader normally encounters and, in so doing, move from local to global impacts, from homogenization to hybridity, and from particularistic focus to political reality. As the concept of 'world heritage' continues to globalize local histories and local cultures, the need for critical examination grows. Read this volume and you will fully question the role of contemporary archaeology in the social contexts within which the discipline operates. -- Joe Watkins