Additional Information

Available Through

Cambridge University Press

Language

English

Notes

Posthumanist or new materialist tools, positions and conversations contain some useful ideas for archaeologists to think with, but others that I find deeply problematic. In this opinion piece, I organize my thoughts around three posthumanist ‘turns’ to objects and materials, relations and assemblages, and non-human animacy. I appreciate how some strands of Posthumanism can help us think more creatively and thoughtfully about relations between humans and non-humans, but I argue against non-anthropocentrism, flat ontology and symmetrical archaeology. Animacy and perspectivism can help remedy colonialist and late-stage capitalist destructive forces, but archaeologists should take care not simply to appropriate, patronize, or re-colonize non-western thinkers. Ultimately, I argue, we should not need continental philosophy to remind us to care about one other, all living creatures and the well-being of our shared planet. What is needed today are ethics, not convoluted turns toward objects.

Taxonomies

RPA Codes & Standards

• Adequate Preparation for Research Projects
• Appropriate Dissemination of Research
• Integrity of Research Methodology
• Procedures for Field Survey or Excavation

CIfA Codes

• Principle 1: Adherence to ethical and responsible behaviour in archaeological affairs
• Principle 3: Responsibility for acquiring and recording reliable information of the past in archaeological research
• Principle 4: Responsibility for the availability of archaeological results within reasonable dispatch

Keywords & Terms

• Burials and Human Remains
• Conservation
• Consultation/Partnership with Affected Groups
• Consultation/Partnership with Indigenous Peoples
• General Archaeological Ethics
• Preservation of Archaeological Resources
• Professional Standards
• Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
• Standards of Data Collection, Recordation, Analysis
• Storage of Data, Specimens, and Records

Topics & Issues

• Applied Archaeology
• Archaeological Education
• Biological Anthropology/Archaeology
• Colonialism and Imperialism
• Community Archaeology and Participatory Research
• Decolonizing Archaeology
• Descendant, Resident, and Stakeholder Communities
• Ethical Case Studies
• Ethical Dilemmas
• Ethics of Collecting
• Heritage Management
• NAGPRA, Repatriation, and Indigenous Rights
• Professionalism and Professional Standards