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Art and Archaeology in Post-Colonial Nations

Module description

In this module you will study indigenous art and archaeology, as well as the ways in which European colonizers and indigenous populations interacted, in southern Africa, Australia, and North America from deep time up until the present day. You will look at cultural and societal transformations using historical, archaeological, and art historical evidence, from the point of view of European settlers and indigenous groups. You will critically engage with the emergence of the themes of socialised landscape, environmental history, material culture, migration, and cognitive archaeology, as well as the ideological implication of these concepts. You will investigate the origins of indigenous art and culture as well as the consequences of pre- and post-colonial efforts to manage and interact with the land. This module will enable you to demonstrate how useful a critical historical perspective is to understanding and addressing the roots of contemporary issues concerning social and cultural identity, indigenous worldviews, and reconciliation.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module investigates the history, archaeology, anthropology, and art history of settler nations from deep time up until the present day. Case studies include Australia, southern Africa, North America, and India. The module encourages students to engage critically with wide-ranging themes including indigenous ontologies, material culture, perceptions of landscape, environmental history, the origins of art and ritual, and cognitive archaeology – as well as the ideological implication of these concepts. The aim of the module is to develop and nurture historical interest in contemporary post-colonial issues – including art and archaeology – and to engage in debates concerning social justice for indigenous populations.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate significant knowledge and critical engagement with a range of historical issues around the themes of indigenous identity in post-colonial nations
• 2. Demonstrate an ability to deploy effectively a range of the tools of ideology critique and discourse analysis in the field of indigenous history and material culture
• 3. Demonstrate effectively the relationships between perceptions and manifestations of socialized landscapes, art, and ritual

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Deploy effectively the concepts of ideology and discourse analysis in the critical analysis of historical sources
• 5. Analyze a full range of original sources and assess their utility as historical and archaeological evidence
• 6. Develop sustained, independent historical arguments in a variety of forms using appropriate terminology

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Set tasks independently and solve problems, formulating appropriate questions and marshaling relevant evidence to answer them
• 8. Digest, select and synthesize evidence and arguments to produce coherent, critical and cogent arguments
• 9. Articulate the relationships between historical knowledge and contemporary political and social issues related to indigenous history and ontologies
• 10. Establish and disseminate your own critical viewpoints

Syllabus plan

Themes in this module may include:

• Indigenous history and archaeology
• Origins of art and ritual
• Transformations in pre- and post-colonial ontologies
• Migrations and indigenous interactions with landscape
• Historiography of social anthropology and historical archaeology in settler nations
•  Identity-building and maintenance

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• McNiven, I. & Russell, L. 2005. Appropriated Pasts. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira.
• Ingold, T. 2000. The Perception of the Environment. London: Routledge.
• Hampson, J. 2016. Rock Art and Regional Identity: A Comparative Perspective. London: Routledge.
• Gilchrist, R. 1999. Gender and Archaeology: Contesting the Past. London: Routledge.
• Lewis-Williams, J. D. 2002. The Mind in the Cave. London: Thames & Hudson.
• Mostert, N. 1992. Frontiers: Evolution of South African Society. Cape Town: Jonathan Cape.
• Lydon, J. & Carey, J. (eds). 2014. Indigenous Networks. New York: Routledge.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=12506 

Key words search

History; indigenous; religion; art; archaeology; post-colonial