The following research aims to engage in an ethical and decolonised practice of archaeology in the Atacameño Community of Peine (II Region, Chile) through the use of Participatory Action Research (henceforth PAR), attempting to foreground the meanings and values of the past of the Peineños. This work departs from its allegiance/rejection to three interrelated issues: first, it constitutes a reaction to the colonial legacy of archaeology in general, and its conditions of production and reproduction in Chile in particular; second, it embraces the ‘reflexive turn’ in archaeology and the postcolonial critique to archaeological theory and practice; and third, it supports Indigenous peoples’ claims over their heritage, and the material and discursive re-appropriation of it, which is a part of larger movements of Indigenous peoples and incipient decolonisation processes worldwide. Thus, PAR was used as a decolonising methodology, which supposed the engagement with members of the Community of Peine in a process of negotiation, dialogue and decision-making from the beginning of the project. In this case, the elders of Peine set the objective of exploring the personal memories of Peineños through individual interviews, in order to account for the past of the Community. Through the use of narrative analysis, the memories of Peineños were grouped into ‘areas of memory’ following recurrent plots, namely territories and lifestyle, foodways, ceremonies, and climate change. Further, through Grounded Theory and the use of constructivist and performative perspectives, it was possible to establish the inextricable relationship between these areas of memory and group identity, establishing also a link to heritage. The findings point to an engagement with a specific past and identity in a current process of change. Its value lies precisely in its evanescent nature, the transformation of a way of living and a knowledge that was commonplace to many generations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:626262 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Kalazich, M. F. |
| Publisher | University College London (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1399067/ |
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