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Indigenous Heritage and Belief

Module description

With an emphasis on decolonisation and postcolonial theory, this module will introduce you to Indigenous heritage and belief systems around the world. Using holistic and comparative approaches, you will study Indigenous history, archaeology, anthropology, heritage, and ontology within and outside Europe. You will analyse and interrogate the politics and practicalities of (re)presenting the past, especially in postcolonial nations. Emphasising the importance of understanding diversity and multi-vocality in current approaches, you will gain insight into public perceptions of, and responses to, Indigenous land use, ontologies, and histories. From heritage sites and museums, to ethnographic texts and ongoing and collaborative archaeological fieldwork, this module explores key interdisciplinary concepts and contextualises them within national and international debates. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

You will gain a core theoretical understanding of the key issues and debates in Indigenous studies, particularly in postcolonial nations (Australia, South Africa, the USA, etc.). You will critically engage with the emergence of the themes of socialised landscape, material culture, migration, and cognitive archaeology, as well as the ideological implication of these concepts. Thanks to a focus on specific case studies and interdisciplinary approaches, you will be able to critically review and engage with current debates in the field. You will acquire competency in a number of transferable skills, including social science research methods and the analysis of ethnographic texts and ethnohistoric interviews from historical and anthropological perspectives. This module moves the discipline forward in an innovative and critically engaged direction, addressing the politics of Indigenous heritage and issues of agency raised by caring for the past. Theory and data come together through real-life examples and international case studies.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Understand the main concepts and debates within Indigenous heritage
• 2. Demonstrate competency in research methods
• 3. Understand and reflect critically upon the relationship between theory and practice

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Demonstrate competent research skills in using archives, libraries and electronic databases
• 5. Critically evaluate the political uses of the past and historical teaching
• 6. Contextualise changing perspectives and approaches to Indigenous heritage over time

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 7. Work collaboratively on group exercises
• 8. Demonstrate oral presentation skills

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Indigenous history and heritage: concepts and debates
• History of anthropology and archaeology in postcolonial nations
• Ethics: key challenges and controversies
• Analysing ethnographic texts and oral history/interview methods
• Culture vs nature: decolonisation, politics, and identity
• Animism, shamanism, and other belief systems
• Narrative and agency: history, myth, and memory
• The use of digital history in postcolonial nations
• The commodification and appropriation of Indigenous culture
• Perceptions of the past

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

• Cassidy, B., Sim, G., Robinson, D. & Gandy, D. 2019. A virtual reality platform for analyzing remote archaeological sites. Interacting With Computers 31(2): 167–176.
• Colwell, C. & Joy, C. 2015. Communities and ethics in the heritage debate. In: Meskell, L. (ed.), Global Heritage: A Reader: 112–130. New York: Wiley.
• Duval, M., Smith, B., Hoerlé, S., Bovet, L., Khumalo, N. & Bhengu, L. 2019. Towards a holistic approach to heritage values: a multidisciplinary and cosmopolitan approach. International Journal of Heritage Studies 25(12): 1279–1301.
• Harrison, R. (ed.) 2010. Understanding the Politics of Heritage. Manchester: Manchester University Press. 
• Lydon, J. and Carey, J. (eds). 2014. Indigenous Networks. New York: Routledge.
• McNiven, I. and Russell, L. 2005. Appropriated Pasts. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira.
• Smulyan, S. (ed.) 2020. Doing Public Humanities. London: Routledge.
• Whitley, D. 2019. Cognitive archaeology revisited: agency, structure and the interpreted past. In: D. Whitley, J. Loubser and G. Whitelaw (eds), Cognitive Archaeology: Mind, Ethnography, and the Past in South Africa and Beyond: 20–47. New York: Routledge.
• Winter, T. and Waterton, E. 2013. Critical Heritage Studies. International Journal of Heritage Studies 19(6).
• Wylie, A. 2002. Thinking from things: essays in the philosophy of archaeology. London: University of California Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Key words search

Indigenous History, Heritage, Uses of the Past, Anthropology, Postcolonialism