Archaeology's origins. A science at the heart of the great debates of our time.
The Discovery| N° d'inventaire | 22364 |
| Format | 14 x 20.5 |
| Détails | 331 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2020 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782707197320 |
What is the purpose of archaeology? Archaeology fascinates; it is one of the careers that children would like to pursue, a wish that very few will ever fulfill. Children, in fact, wonder about origins, and so do all adults. Because, ultimately, the question is indeed that of origins: of the world, of humans, of each society. And to elucidate these mysteries, since the 19th century, archaeology has gradually replaced religions and fulfills an essential mission: it constructs the past, the territory, and the historical legitimacy of each nation. This is what this essay shows, in which the committed archaeologist Jean-Paul Demoule explains the dual function of this discipline: scientific on the one hand, ideological on the other, with boundaries that sometimes blur. This is evidenced by the French debates around the teaching of history and the "national novel", then of "national identity", marked since the 2000s by the emergence of the "Gauls", the "Barbarians" and the manipulation of history in political and media discourse. This is also evidenced, in many countries, by the ways in which archaeology operates, both in its historical interpretations and in its implementation in the field, with its increasing contamination by ultraliberal ideologies of generalized competition. We will thus see, in the specific case of France, how the convergence of short-term economic interests, ultraliberal ideology but also administrative negligence endangers the rescue of a seriously threatened archaeological heritage.
What is the purpose of archaeology? Archaeology fascinates; it is one of the careers that children would like to pursue, a wish that very few will ever fulfill. Children, in fact, wonder about origins, and so do all adults. Because, ultimately, the question is indeed that of origins: of the world, of humans, of each society. And to elucidate these mysteries, since the 19th century, archaeology has gradually replaced religions and fulfills an essential mission: it constructs the past, the territory, and the historical legitimacy of each nation. This is what this essay shows, in which the committed archaeologist Jean-Paul Demoule explains the dual function of this discipline: scientific on the one hand, ideological on the other, with boundaries that sometimes blur. This is evidenced by the French debates around the teaching of history and the "national novel", then of "national identity", marked since the 2000s by the emergence of the "Gauls", the "Barbarians" and the manipulation of history in political and media discourse. This is also evidenced, in many countries, by the ways in which archaeology operates, both in its historical interpretations and in its implementation in the field, with its increasing contamination by ultraliberal ideologies of generalized competition. We will thus see, in the specific case of France, how the convergence of short-term economic interests, ultraliberal ideology but also administrative negligence endangers the rescue of a seriously threatened archaeological heritage.