Naslov
Archaeology, Nationalism and Ceramic Poultry: Multiple Constructions of the Past in Croatia

Autori
Kulenović, Igor

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Skup
Re-Thinking Humanities and Social Sciences: The Politics of Memory

Mjesto i datum
Zadar, Hrvatska, 06.09.2012. - 09.09.2012

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
Archaeology; nacionalism; discourse

Sažetak
The practice of archaeology in Croatia has a great institutional tradition. These institutions are the main creators of narratives about the past, most often with a national agenda. There is a whole sector in current Croatian society who actively use the past in a manner completly different form that of academia. This sector includes both formal and informal groups, all the way down to the ''ordinary people''. This contradiction is particulary evident when it comes to the interpretation of certain archaeological finds such as the so called Vučedol dove. The reaction of academia to these pursuits is, more often than not, that of utter disapproval. The basic premise of this presentation is that knowledge is socially constructed. Rather than trying to elevate itself to the apex of those who deliver the truth, the discipline should recognize the fact that knowledge it produces is socially sitauted and derived from the ideological context it is embedded in. Writing of non-academic uses of the past as dilettante and incompetent is misleading. The practice of interpretation of the past is not that of truth and falshood but rather of creating naratives to fulfill certain needs. Complete disregard for multiple voices in the interpretation of the past robs the discipline of an opportunity to fully acknowledge its own place in the practice of archaeology. The aim of this presentation is to analyze the properties of both academic and non-academic discourses of the past, their positions within the dynamics of current Croatian society and to put the practice of archaeology in a wider social, historical and political context.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Arheologija

POVEZANOST RADA