Abstract
The undeveloped world indigenous archaeologist is absolutely the other in his/her own country; such a condition is a result of a long term process, the process of post industrial revolution in the developed countries which changed the universal actions and reactions towards the undeveloped one. An archaeologist in the undeveloped world is the other because his/her discipline is an imported unindigenous one. His/her context is more problematic and he/she is usually an adherent of his/her western discipline pioneers. As will be narrated below, an indigenous archaeologist has to censor himself/herself and distance from their native context, while there is no place in the developed world for them as that is naturally another world. Their education in an undeveloped country has made them apply methods and adopt approaches which are mostly defined by the propaganda and the regional policies of governments based on nationalism. However, archaeology needs anthropological humanistic principles in order to be effective in a world scale. Four social encounters with an indigenous archaeologist have been narrated in this article; in his own society, in a developed country and in a postcolonial context. These narrations depict the status, the individuality and the contextual conditions of an archaeologist’s.
Résumé
L’archéologue indigène du monde non-développé est un étranger absolu dans son propre pays; cette condition est le résultat d’un processus à long terme, le processus de révolution post-industrielle dans les pays développés qui a changé les actions et les réactions universelles vis-à-vis des pays non-développés. Un archéologue dans le monde non-développé est l’autre parce que sa discipline est importée et non-indigène. Son contexte est plus problématique et il/elle suit généralement la ligne tracée par les pionniers occidentaux de sa discipline. Comme il sera décrit ci-dessous, un archéologue indigène doit s’auto-censurer et se distancer de son contexte d’origine, alors même qu’il n’y a pas de place pour lui/elle dans le monde développé, puisqu’il s’agit là naturellement d’un autre monde. Son éducation dans un pays non-développé l’a conduit/e à appliquer des méthodes et adopter des approches qui, pour l’essentiel, ont été définies par la propagande et les politiques régionales de gouvernements fondés sur le nationalisme. Cependant, l’archéologie a besoin de principes anthropologiques humanistiques pour être efficace à l’échelle mondiale. Cet article relate quatre rencontres sociales avec un archéologue indigène; dans sa propre société, dans un pays développé et dans un contexte postcolonial. Ces récits décrivent le statut, l’individualité et les conditions contextuelles d’un archéologue.
Resumen
El arqueólogo indígena del mundo subdesarrollado es absolutamente el otro en su propio país; dicha condición es resultado de un proceso a largo plazo, el proceso de la revolución post-industrial en los países desarrollados que cambió las acciones y las reacciones universales hacia el país subdesarrollado. Un arqueólogo en el mundo subdesarrollado es el otro porque su disciplina es una disciplina no indígena importada. Su contexto es más problemático y normalmente es partidario de sus pioneros de disciplina occidentales. Como se narrará a continuación, un arqueólogo indígena tiene que censurarse y distanciarse de su contexto nativo, aunque no haya lugar para ellos en el mundo desarrollado ya que naturalmente es otro mundo. Su educación en un país subdesarrollado les ha hecho aplicar métodos y adoptar enfoques que están definidos en su mayor parte por la propaganda y las políticas regionales de los gobiernos basadas en el nacionalismo. Sin embargo, el arqueólogo necesita principios humanísticos antropológicos para ser efectivo a escala mundial. En el presente artículo se han narrado cuatro encuentros sociales con un arqueólogo indígena; en su propia sociedad, en un país desarrollado y en un contexto post-colonial. Estas narraciones describen su estatus, la individualidad y las condiciones contextuales de un arqueólogo.
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Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to Siavash Samei for his great supports in translating and editing the text. I also express my gratitude to Leila Papoli, my wife, for her supports in providing the references and re-reading the article. In addition, the author is grateful to field assistant of Delfan Survey Jalal Adeli. I also appreciate my archaeologist colleagues in Bu-Ali Sina University who provided me with a context for new experiences. I also thank late Serge Clauziou (ParisX), Henri Paul Frankfort (ParisX) and Faroogh Aswati in Peshawar University for their supports. I am grateful to the anonymous readers of the Archaeologies for their very useful ideas and suggestions. It should be noted that any error in this article is the responsibility of the author.
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In memory of late Prof. Farhang Khademi Nadooshan.
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Garazhian, O. Encounters and Questions: An Archaeologist from a Trans-Modern Society. Arch 10, 3–26 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-012-9218-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-012-9218-8