User:Tonyboden/Political Archaeology

Political Archaeology
Political Archaeology is the exploration of the underlying political agendas surrounding archaeology and how they affect the discipline and its practice. The use of political and economic power can have a substantial effect on archaeological theory and interpretation among cultures. Generally speaking, most political archaeology is generated in conjunction with major social and cultural upheaval and reform. Many of these instances are during some kind of "revolution" in which archaeology can be used as propaganda or inherently used or viewed in new light for political gain.

Cuba
While archaeology in Cuba had been going on since the early 1900s, politics had little in the way of influence until after the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s. After this, some saw a shift in archaeological theory in regards to Cuban prehistory as evidenced in Tabia and Rey Betancourt's book Prehistoria de Cuba. Some scholars noted it had a profound effect on a generation of Latin American archaeologists, who saw in it a way to link their revolutionary politics with archaeological practice. As such, most archaeology in Cuba is done by Cubans who often interpret of data that correlates with their own subjective sense of national pride. This results in a dissonance between objective and factual archaeological records and information. Ultimately, this put the archaeological record of Cuba in a light associated with political tones and ideals.

China
China has had a long history that has left a rich archaeological record. However, China's view on history and archaeological ideals make it a clear case study for issues in political archaeology. During the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution the ideological views of Chinese archaeology were a political enterprise for establishing a strict background to contemporary Chinese history and culture. During this time, many archaeological objects were destroyed or damaged if they were identified to contradict revolutionary ideals. Some items were stolen and sold on the black market, marking a huge loss of archaeological heritage. This ultimately resulted in nationalist pride in many archaeological remains found only in China. There has now been a surge in protecting these cultural relics and the Peoples Republic of China has instituted regulations that keep a vast amount of indigenous cultural relics from being obtained outside of China. See, for example, this list of Chinese cultural relics forbidden to be exhibited abroad.

Israel
The archaeology of Israel has undergone many changes due to political agenda and social and societal wars. Palestinians and [Israeli|Israelis]] have influenced archaeology since many of their archaeological endeavors have associated political ideologies. Some scholars see historical and cultural sites as objects that pertain exclusively to their own religious and cultural identities. One clear example of this is Masada. Bias has resulted in to many significant historical sites being preferentially treated or alternatively heavily damaged or looted during times of conflict and war. Religion has had a profound affect on archaeology in terms of what has been deemed important from specific ideological perspectives. This has led to a less objective interpretation of the archaeological record.

Some Damaged Archaeological Sites and Objects as well as those with Political Influence

 * Temple Mount
 * Mount of Olives
 * First Temple
 * Terracotta Army
 * Mawangdui