Archaeology and the Postcolonial Critique

Matthew Liebmann is assistant professor of anthropology at Harvard University.Uzma Z. Rizvi is assistant professor of social science and cultural studies and of critical and visual studies at the Pratt Institute.

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.

• Chapter 1. Introduction: The Intersections of Archaeology and Postcolonial StudiesChapter 2. A Brief History of Postcolonial Theory and Implications for ArchaeologyChapter 3. Heterogeneous Encounters: Colonial Histories and Archaeological ExperiencesChapter 4. Towards the Liberation of Archaeological Praxis in a "Postcolonial Colony:" The Case of Puerto RicoChapter 5. Postcolonial Cultural Affiliation: Essentialism, Hybridity, and NAGPRAChapter 6. Notions of Cultural Continuity and Disjunction in Maya Social Movements and Maya ArchaeologyChapter 7. Decolonizing Methodologies as Strategies of Practice: Operationalizing the Postcolonial Critique in the Archaeology of RajasthanChapter 8. Indigenous and Postcolonial ArchaeologiesChapter 9. Archaeology, the World Bank, and Postcolonial PoliticsChapter 10. Disinheriting Heritage: Explorations in the Contentious History of Archaeology in the Middle EastChapter 11. Situating World Heritage Sites in a Multicultural Society: The Ideology of Presentation at the Sacred City of Anuradhapura, Sri LankaChapter 12. Conclusion: Archaeological Futures and the Postcolonial Critique