Indigenous archaeology in Latin America. Towards an engaged, activist and intercultural archaeology

Bibliographic Data

ID3359577
AuthorsFélix Acuto (0000-0002-3157-941X, CONICET, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume31
Issue1
Pages1-19
Publication date2025-09-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeological Dialogues (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1380-2038 • E-ISSN: 1478-2294
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s138020382510010x
OpenAlexW4414531328
LanguageEN
References cited29

Taking into consideration the socio-political history and politics of identity in Latin America, Indigenous peoples' current demands and the contemporary context of pressure on Indigenous territories from powerful groups who deny and challenge Indigenous identities and organisations in their pursuit to appropriate the natural and cultural resources of these territories, this paper argues for the necessity of an engaged, activist Indigenous archaeology in Latin America that is committed to the goals, claims and struggles of native peoples. The argument is that archaeology should move beyond critically reflecting on the discipline's colonial history to develop a politically oriented and theoretically informed praxis that is in tune with Indigenous peoples' project of dual decolonisation - the decolonisation of themselves and the decolonisation of the State. This praxis must be based on two principles: respecting Indigenous peoples as subjects of collective rights and political subjects, and embracing interculturality. The paper offers four examples of the challenges faced in making archaeology available to the subaltern

Colonialism · Decolonization · Indigenous · Latin Americans · Politics · Praxis · Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Archaeology and Cultural Heritage · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies

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