PAPVB_35	
  “The	
  Archaeology	
  of	
  Colonialism”	
  
Masaryk	
  University	
  /	
  Spring	
  2013	
  
	
  
	
  
Final	
  essay	
  assignment	
  
	
  
This	
  assignment	
  requires	
  you	
  to	
  answer	
  one	
  (1)	
  of	
  the	
  two	
  discussion	
  questions	
  provided	
  below.	
  In	
  your	
  
response	
  essay,	
  I	
  encourage	
  you	
  to	
  draw	
  on	
  course	
  materials	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  in-­‐class	
  discussions.	
  	
  
	
  
An	
  essay	
  is	
  a	
  piece	
  of	
  writing	
  that	
  poignantly	
  lays	
  out	
  an	
  argument,	
  so	
  I	
  expect	
  you	
  to	
  provide	
  me	
  with	
  critical	
  
reflections	
  on	
  the	
  essay	
  question	
  you	
  decide	
  to	
  answer.	
  This	
  essay	
  is	
  a	
  way	
  for	
  me	
  to	
  assess	
  how	
  well	
  you	
  
comprehend	
  the	
  class	
  materials	
  and	
  to	
  what	
  extent	
  you	
  are	
  able	
  to	
  critically	
  engage	
  with	
  the	
  contents	
  of	
  the	
  
course.	
  I	
  encourage	
  you	
  to	
  express	
  your	
  opinion,	
  but	
  do	
  so	
  in	
  an	
  informed	
  manner	
  by	
  linking	
  your	
  arguments	
  to	
  
the	
  readings	
  of	
  the	
  class.	
  Your	
  responses	
  are	
  expected	
  to	
  be	
  problematic-­‐focused,	
  that	
  is,	
  they	
  need	
  to	
  
demonstrate	
  both	
  your	
  mastery	
  of	
  the	
  course	
  materials	
  and	
  your	
  analytical	
  engagement	
  with	
  the	
  problems	
  
posed	
  in	
  the	
  discussion	
  question.	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
Discussion	
  question	
  1:	
  
In	
  this	
  course,	
  we	
  have	
  explored	
  colonialism	
  as	
  a	
  cultural	
  practice.	
  This	
  means	
  that	
  colonialism	
  is	
  not	
  simply	
  a	
  
hegemonic	
  force	
  pushing	
  economic	
  exploitation	
  and	
  political	
  domination	
  onto	
  local	
  populations,	
  but	
  that	
  
colonized	
  people	
  have	
  agency	
  too.	
  In	
  other	
  words,	
  they	
  are	
  able	
  to	
  negotiate	
  unequal	
  power	
  relations	
  and	
  
resist	
  or	
  subvert	
  colonial	
  domination.	
  	
  
As	
  archaeologists,	
  we	
  are	
  most	
  interested	
  in	
  the	
  material	
  correlates	
  that	
  are	
  able	
  to	
  inform	
  us	
  about	
  the	
  
practices	
  of	
  local/indigenous	
  people.	
  In	
  your	
  essay,	
  describe	
  how	
  we	
  can	
  use	
  material	
  culture	
  to	
  understand	
  
the	
  cultural	
  practices	
  of	
  colonized	
  people,	
  including	
  practices	
  of	
  resistance.	
  While	
  you	
  may	
  come	
  up	
  with	
  your	
  
own	
  examples,	
  draw	
  specifically	
  on	
  the	
  readings	
  from	
  Sessions	
  2	
  and	
  3	
  to	
  compose	
  your	
  essay.	
  	
  
In	
  your	
  answer,	
  please	
  also	
  consider	
  why	
  a	
  binary	
  view	
  of	
  practices	
  as	
  either	
  resistance	
  (on	
  the	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  
colonized)	
  or	
  domination	
  (on	
  the	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  colonizers)	
  is	
  insufficient	
  for	
  a	
  nuanced	
  understanding	
  of	
  
colonialism.	
  
	
  
Discussion	
  question	
  2:	
  
Throughout	
  this	
  course,	
  we	
  have	
  explored	
  how	
  colonialism	
  relies	
  on	
  the	
  construction	
  of	
  essentialized	
  
knowledge,	
  which	
  typically	
  centers	
  on	
  binary	
  categories	
  such	
  as	
  “us/the	
  Other,”	
  “primitive/modern,”	
  or	
  
“civilized/uncivilized.”	
  	
  
We	
  have	
  seen	
  that	
  notions	
  of	
  race	
  and	
  gender	
  play	
  an	
  important	
  role	
  in	
  this	
  context.	
  We	
  have	
  also	
  analyzed	
  
how	
  received	
  ideas	
  regarding	
  race	
  and	
  gender	
  are	
  not	
  “given”	
  or	
  “natural,”	
  but	
  how	
  they	
  are	
  culturally	
  
constructed.	
  Based	
  on	
  this	
  understanding	
  and	
  on	
  the	
  readings	
  from	
  Sessions	
  4	
  and	
  5,	
  explain	
  why	
  race	
  and/or	
  
gender	
  should	
  not	
  merely	
  be	
  considered	
  concepts,	
  but	
  practices	
  (in	
  your	
  response,	
  you	
  may	
  talk	
  about	
  either	
  
race	
  or	
  gender,	
  or	
  both).	
  	
  
Drawing	
  on	
  readings	
  and	
  class	
  discussions,	
  also	
  describe	
  how	
  racialized	
  and/or	
  gendered	
  practices	
  functioned	
  
within	
  colonial	
  contexts	
  and	
  how	
  they	
  structured	
  the	
  relationships	
  between	
  colonizers	
  and	
  colonized.	
  
	
  
	
  
Format	
  of	
  essay	
  and	
  due	
  date:	
  
Papers	
  are	
  supposed	
  to	
  be	
  10	
  pages	
  long	
  (double-­‐spaced,	
  12	
  pt.	
  font,	
  Times	
  New	
  Roman)	
  (excluding	
  
bibliography).	
  Please,	
  submit	
  your	
  essay	
  via	
  email	
  to	
  me	
  (mstarzmann@zedat.fu-­‐berlin.de)	
  no	
  later	
  than	
  
Monday,	
  8	
  April	
  2013,	
  at	
  noon	
  (12	
  pm).	
  Submit	
  your	
  essay	
  in	
  either	
  Microsoft	
  Word	
  or	
  OpenOffice	
  format	
  (no	
  
PDFs	
  accepted!).	
  A	
  bibliography	
  is	
  not	
  required	
  unless	
  you	
  use	
  literature	
  that	
  we	
  have	
  not	
  read	
  in	
  class.	
  
	
  
Note:	
  
This	
  assignment	
  requires	
  you	
  to	
  follow	
  the	
  standard	
  format	
  used	
  in	
  the	
  social	
  sciences	
  for	
  citations	
  and	
  
bibliographic	
  references.	
  This	
  also	
  means	
  that	
  you	
  need	
  to	
  cite	
  the	
  sources	
  you	
  use	
  as	
  you	
  can	
  otherwise	
  be	
  
charged	
  with	
  plagiarism!	
  Guidelines	
  for	
  citations	
  will	
  be	
  available	
  online	
  in	
  two	
  PDF	
  documents	
  titled	
  ‘Social	
  
Science	
  Citation	
  Guide’	
  and	
  ‘AAA	
  Style	
  Guide.’	
  
	
  
If	
  you	
  have	
  any	
  questions	
  regarding	
  the	
  assignment,	
  please	
  don’t	
  hesitate	
  to	
  contact	
  me	
  via	
  email:	
  
mstarzmann@zedat.fu-­‐berlin.de