identity
identity [Th].The use of material culture to aid understanding of the definition and status of individuals and groups in the past. Such studies include the recognition of gender, rank, status, or place within society at the individual level, but may also look more widely at the relationships between contemporary cultures and the extent to which material culture is used to signal differences between social groups.
The way in which achaeological remains are widely used in order to promote and support particular views of contemporary personal, local, regional, and national identity, especially through the application of ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, the deployment of public funds, and state legislation. In this sense archaeology is an extremely powerful political tool, and has been for many generations.
[The entire page is 131 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
