ANTHR 7272 - Historical Archaeology of Indigenous Peoples

(crosslisted)
(also AIS 7720, AMST 6272, ARKEO 7272)

Spring. 4 credits.

Co-meets with AIS 4720/AMST 4272/ANTHR 4272/ARKEO 4272.

K. Jordan.

This seminar uses archaeology to examine the responses of nonstate indigenous peoples across the world to European expansion and colonialism over the past 500 years. Archaeology provides a perspective on indigenous lives that both supplements and challenges document-based histories. We will assess the strengths and weaknesses of various theories of culture contact, and explore a series of archaeological case studies, using examples primarily from North America with lesser emphasis on Africa and the Pacific. The seminar provides a comparative perspective on indigenous-colonial relationships, in particular exploring the hard-fought spaces of relative autonomy created and sustained by indigenous peoples.