Archaeology, Architecture, and the Postcolonial Critique

Abstract

The built environment is central to human activity, serving as a stage upon which social activity takes place and is shaped. Built spaces not only reflect people's needs and beliefs but also affect their experiences. As the material manifestation of human values and histories, buildings are instruments of power and enforcers of hierarchy, but also serve as powerful sites for protest or resistance. Architecture and the built environment should then hold a central place in postcolonial archaeology and especially the decolonization movement, which seeks to rebuild the narrative of places through the empowerment of the historically underrepresented. However, despite the significance of the postcolonial critique for both archaeology and contemporary architectural theory, its impact has not been felt very deeply at the point where these two disciplines intersect. The first half of this introductory chapter summarizes the influence of postcolonial theory on the study of the built environment and explores its applicability in the analysis and interpretation of architecture from archaeological contexts. The second half summarizes the main themes of the volumes as well as the individual contributions themselves.

Imperial Architecture and Identity: An Introduction

“…The publication is found here: https://doi.org/10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.9.3.0205 communities. Likewise, developments in anthropology have contributed to the advancement of postcolonial theories, which can provide a more critical and nuanced analysis of the built environment and its influence on past communities (Yeoh 2003;Segaud 2010;Nitschke and Lorenzon 2020). Studies have highlighted the role of the ruling elite and power structures to convey messages and control social interactions (Moore 2003;Parker Pearson and Richards 1994).…”