Who Needs the Past?: Indigenous Values and Archaeology: 5 (One World Archaeology S.) - Hardcover

This book springs from discussions on the theme of "Archaeological Objectivity in Interpretation", organized by P.J.Ucko and is one of a major series of more than 20 volumes resulting from the the World Archaeological Congress, September 1986. The aim of the discussions was to focus attention on the way that the past has been used and viewed by particular groups, whether local, regional or national. The Congress addressed world archaeology in its widest sense. Central to a world archaeological approach is the investigation not only of how people lived in the past but also of how and why changes took place resulting in the forms of society and culture which exist today. These essays analyze different frameworks for understanding the past, drawn from a variety of contexts including the modern Americas, Aboriginal Australia, the Arctic, Europe, Cameroon, Madagascar and India, as well as ancient Greece and Egypt. The conclusions reached reflect the view that the past is indeed a foreign country and by honouring the importance of all attempts to explore it, it will constitute a very important statement about the common humanity of humankind.