Abstract
This article examines the political and institutional dimensions of archaeological practice in South Africa during the apartheid era and since the transition to democratic rule in 1994. We focus on the archaeological practices within institutional structures—the universities, heritage agencies, and museums. We examine the roles these institutions played in either perpetuating or challenging the disconnection between archaeological heritage and descendent communities prior to 1994, and whether the political changes that occurred since the end of apartheid have succeeded in creating an inclusive archaeological practice in South Africa. The Transformation Charter, adopted in 2008 by the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA), requires that all those working in the field of archaeology in South Africa practice a form of archaeology that is “rooted in social awareness and social engagement” and aims to be “socially responsible.” We examine the extent to which progress has been made towards achieving those objectives.
Résumé
Cet article examine les dimensions politique et institutionnelle de la pratique archéologique en Afrique du Sud pendant l’ère de l’apartheid et depuis le passage à un régime démocratique en 1994. Nous nous concentrons sur les pratiques archéologiques au sein de structures institutionnelles telles que les universités, les agences de protection du patrimoine et les musées. Nous examinons les rôles que ces institutions ont joué dans la perpétuation ou la contestation de la déconnexion entre le patrimoine archéologique et les communautés descendantes avant 1994, et si les changements politiques survenus depuis la fin de l’ère de l’apartheid ont permis de créer une archéologie sud-africaine réellement inclusive. La Charte de transformation, adoptée en 2008 par l’Association des archéologues professionnels d’Afrique australe (ASAPA), exige que tous ceux qui travaillent dans le domaine de l’archéologie en Afrique du Sud pratiquent une forme d’archéologie «enracinée dans la conscience et l’engagement sociaux». être «socialement responsable». Nous examinons dans quelle mesure des progrès ont été accomplis dans la réalisation de ces objectifs.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful for the institutional support that we received from the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Pretoria and the Centre for Rock Art Research + Management in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia. The Archaeology Division of the University of the Witwatersrand and the Rock Art Research Institute, both in Johannesburg, provided the base for our joint research in the early preparations for this paper. We are indebted to them. We thank the National Research Foundation of South Africa, the African World Heritage Fund, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the financial support. We thank the dozens of archaeologists who agreed to be interviewed for this research and Ms. Swanepoel and Ms. Erasmus for the museum visitor figures. The views expressed in this paper are our own and may not reflect the views of those who have supported our research. This paper benefited greatly from the insightful comments of Janette Deacon and Aron David Mazel.
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Ndlovu, N., Smith, B. The Past Is a Divided Country: Transforming Archaeology in South Africa. Afr Archaeol Rev 36, 175–192 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-019-09336-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-019-09336-y