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COASTAL ABSENCES IN ANDEAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A HIGHLAND-CENTRIC INDIGENEITY

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Date Issued:
2023
Abstract/Description:
As a tangible linkage to the past, archaeological material culture plays a vital role in constructing contemporary identities. In Ecuador, archaeology focused on the state societies of the Andean highlands has long informed a hill-centric national narrative about the indigenous past, leaving coastal peoples on the margins. Conversely, more recent efforts at investigating overlooked coastal sites have paralleled the process of coastal communities publically reclaiming their indigenous status. This thesis investigates the historical trends in the field of Andean archaeology which have contributed to a popular conception of highland indigeneity in Ecuador that excludes coastal peoples. However, coastal peoples’ recent expressions of indigeneity have reciprocally drawn from and shaped the work of contemporary archaeologists working in coastal sites, articulating a vision of indigenous ethnicity rooted in a living relationship to the archaeological record which subverts predominant highland centric narratives.
Title: COASTAL ABSENCES IN ANDEAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A HIGHLAND-CENTRIC INDIGENEITY.
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Name(s): Crawford, Ben, author
Corr, Rachel, Thesis advisor
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Thesis
Date Created: 2023
Date Issued: 2023
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Jupiter, FL
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 31 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: As a tangible linkage to the past, archaeological material culture plays a vital role in constructing contemporary identities. In Ecuador, archaeology focused on the state societies of the Andean highlands has long informed a hill-centric national narrative about the indigenous past, leaving coastal peoples on the margins. Conversely, more recent efforts at investigating overlooked coastal sites have paralleled the process of coastal communities publically reclaiming their indigenous status. This thesis investigates the historical trends in the field of Andean archaeology which have contributed to a popular conception of highland indigeneity in Ecuador that excludes coastal peoples. However, coastal peoples’ recent expressions of indigeneity have reciprocally drawn from and shaped the work of contemporary archaeologists working in coastal sites, articulating a vision of indigenous ethnicity rooted in a living relationship to the archaeological record which subverts predominant highland centric narratives.
Identifier: FAUHT00286 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2023
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUHT00286
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.

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