Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (240 page)

BOOK: Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology
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ethnicity
[Th].
The ascription, or claim, to belong to a particular cultural group on the basis of genetics, language, or other cultural manifestations. Definitions of what constitutes an ethnic group have varied over time and place, but have long been a central concern in archaeology.
ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL
studies have shown that while material culture may in some cases indicate sharp boundaries between groups, this is not always the case. Nor do such boundaries necessarily relate to contacts or movements: ethnicity is malleable and contingent on context. See also
CULTURE
.
ethnoarchaeology
[Ge].
A branch of archaeology that uses ethnographical data to inform the examination and interpretation of the archaeological record. In some cases this involves the study of living communities by selectively looking at the archaeologically recoverable material culture: a sort of living archaeology that gained popularity as part of the
NEW ARCHAEOLOGY
of the 1960s and 1970s. Ethnoarchaeologists carry out a kind of ethnography to examine and document the relationships between human behaviour and the resultant patterns of artefacts and food remains, in some cases contributing to or developing
MIDDLE RANGE THEORY
.
ethnocentrism
[Ge].
1
The belief that one's own values and views held true in all times and places.
2
The tendency to look at other cultures through the eyes of one's own culture, believing that one's own culture is morally superior, and thereby misrepresenting others.
ethnography
[Ge].
The descriptive documentation and analysis of a contemporary culture.
ethnohistory
[Ge].
The reconstruction of the history of societies (usually non-literate) based upon information gleaned from oral traditions, written materials from outsiders, linguistic and archaeological data, or any other form of pertinent information. A study of the past using non-western, indigenous historical records, and especially oral traditions.

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