Abstract
One of the central questions in comparative studies of colonialism is what makes more recent variants of imperial extension so culturally distinctive, aside from the more obvious political-economic dimensions? This set of papers focuses on how European and Euro-American promulgated variants of colonialism can be viewed as embodying central tenets of modernism, such as progressivism, technocentrism, and hybridity. Moreover, the authors demonstrate how colonial practices in the era of the modern were not merely the result of policies emanating from imperial capitals, but were an outgrowth of conflict, mediation, and accommodation between colonizer and colonized. Thus, archaeological research is important for stressing that the past five centuries have seen a time of contested modernities, rather than the growth of ‘a’ modernist sensibility.
Resumen
Una de las preguntas centrales en los estudios comparativos del colonialismo es: ¿qué es lo que hace que las variantes más recientes de la extensión imperial sean culturalmente diferentes, aparte de las dimensiones políticas y económicas más obvias? Este grupo de ponencias está enfocado en la manera en la que las variantes promulgadas por europeos y euro-norteamericanos del colonialismo pueden ser consideradas como la expresión de los principios del modernismo, como por ejemplo el progresismo, el tecnocentrismo y la hibridación. Además, los autores demuestran como las prácticas coloniales en la era moderna no eran meramente el resultado de políticas que emanaban de los capitales imperiales, sino que eran un foco de conflicto, mediación y acomodamiento entre el colonizador y el colonizado. Así es que la investigación arqueológica es importante para subrayar que los pasados cinco siglos han sido tiempos de modernidades interpeladas, más que de crecimiento de una sensibilidad modernista.
Résumé
Dans les études comparatives sur le colonialisme, une des questions centrales, est ce qui fait que les plus récentes variantes de l’extension de l’impérialisme sont culturellement si distinctives par rapport aux dimensions politico-économiques qui sont plus évidentes. Cet ensemble de contributions se concentrent sur la façon dont les Européens et les Euro-américains édictent des variantes du colonialisme qui peuvent être considérées comme des principes centraux du modernisme, comme le progressisme, le technocentrisme et l’hybridité. De plus, les auteurs démontrent comment les pratiques coloniales de l’ère moderne n’ont pas été seulement le résultat de politiques émanant des capitales de l’impérialisme, mais aussi une prolongation du conflit, de la médiation et de l’accommodement entre les colonisateurs et les colonisés. Dans ce sens, la recherche archéologique est importante afin de mettre l’emphase sur le fait que les cinq derniers siècles ont été une période de contestation des modernités, plutôt que le développement d’une sensibilité moderne.
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Cobb, C.R., Loren, D.D. The Earth of the Modern. Arch 4, 11–23 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-008-9046-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-008-9046-z