After Captain Cook: The Archaeology of the Recent Indigenous Past in Australia

by Rodney Harrison (Editor), Christine Williamson (Editor)

Overview

The original papers collected in this pioneering volume address the historical archaeology of Aboriginal Australia and its application in researching the shared history of Aboriginal and settler Australians. The authors draw on case studies from across the continent to show how archaeology can illuminate the continuum of responses by indigenous Australians to European settlement and colonization. Taking an innovative approach to the relationship between archaeological theory and contemporary Australian history, the book also examines the role of archaeology in current debates over Aboriginal land rights and the role of 'post-contact' archaeology in cultural heritage management. An introduction by the series editors places the Australian material in the context of indigenous archaeological studies worldwide. The volume will be of interest to academic and public archaeologists, indigenous people, anthropologists, historians, and heritage managers who deal with indigenous communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759106574
Publisher:	AltaMira Press
Publication date:	03/09/2004
Series:	Indigenous Archaeologies Series , #2
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	8.44(w) x 10.94(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Rodney Harrison is a research fellow in the Centre for Cross Cultural Research at the Australian National University, Canberra. This book was largely prepared while he was employed in the cultural heritage research unit in the Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) in Sydney. His research has focused on 'contact' archaeology, the historical archaeology of the pastoral industry in Australia, collaborative and community-based archaeologies, and the role of material culture in negotiating cross-cultural encounters. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia.
Christine Williamson holds a Ph.D. in archaeology from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Her research has focused on the nature of European and Aboriginal interactions on the colonial frontier in northwest Tasmania, and the role of long-term historical trajectories in structuring post-contact change. Her research interests include historical archaeology, Aboriginal/European contact, and the writing of Aboriginal history. She is currently self-employed as a heritage consultant in Melbourne.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Figures Part 2 Tables Part 3 Foreword Chapter 4 1. Introduction: 'Too many Captain Cooks'? An archaeology of Aboriginal Australia after 1788 Part 5 RESEARCH ON THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE RECENT INDIGENOUS PAST IN AUSTRALIA Chapter 6 2. The Mjöberg collection and contact period Aboriginal material culture from north-east Queensland's rainforest region Chapter 7 3. Shared histories and the archaeology of the pastoral industry in Australia Chapter 8 4. 'This civilising experiment': Photography at Coranderrk Aboriginal Station during the 1860s Chapter 9 5. Finding meaning in the patterns: The analysis of material culture from a contact site in Tasmania Part 10 NATIVE TITLE AND THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE RECENT ABORIGINAL PAST Chapter 11 6. Legislating the past: Native title and the history of Aboriginal Australia Chapter 12 7. Can archaeology be used to address the principle of exclusive possession in native title? Part 13 CONTACT ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE MANAGEMENT Chapter 14 8. An archaeology of attachment: Cultural heritage and the post-contact Chapter 15 9. Recent investigations at the Ebenezer Mission cemetery Chapter 16 10. Places people value: Social significance and cultural exchange in post-invasion Australia Chapter 17 11. A past remembered: Aboriginal 'historical' places in central Queensland Chapter 18 12. Epilogue: An archaeology of Indigenous/non-Indigenous Australia from 1788 Part 19 Index

Editorial Reviews

As I entered my first year of archaeology, I searched for a good reason to make a career out of a subject which had up until then been a mere curiosity. For students like me, this book provides just that.After Captain Cook presents the reader with a diversity of issues and research projects pertaining to the archeaology of Indigenous Australia after 1788.. .. Harrison and Williamson provide a strong and sound rationale for such study, beyond simply the opportunity for [it].. .. It's encouraging to see Indigenous concerns forming the basis for study, as well as prompting a conscientious consideration of the purpose of archaeological research.. .. Harrison and Williamson give us a well-rounded and timely look at the future of Indigenous archaeology.. .. Contact archaeology, as this volume advocates, has the potential to address issues of national importance in Australia and of direct relevance to archaeology in settler societies everywhere. The volume leaves the optimistic reader with a plethora of research areas to pursue methods to employ and bold goals to achieve.

World Archaeological Bulletin

This volume is important, not just for archaeology and archaeologists, but also for Aboriginal peoples and the politics of their current situation with regard to connection to country.. .. This book breaks the cycle of division between history and archaeology. By re-uniting the two discourses of archaeology and history, and bridging the gap between pre-contact and the present, Rodney Harrison and Christine Williamson (as editors), and the individual authors of the papers in the volume, deserve our congratulations and thanks.

Archaeology In Oceania - Anne Ross

One can see this volume as a useful basis for viewing how Australian scholars, courts, and the Euro-Australian and Aboriginal publics are grappling with the role of archaeology in the current national land-rights debate.

Journal of Anthropological Research

These papers contribute significantly to Australia's archaeology and history.

Australian Archaeology - Judy Birmingham

This collection of papers is a resource for understanding how parallel situations are playing out elsewhere, allowing us to gain from their experiences, and for this reason alone the volume is worthwhile.

Canadian Journal of Archaeology

This volume is important, not just for archaeology and archaeologists, but also for Aboriginal peoples and the politics of their current situation with regard to connection to country. . . . This book breaks the cycle of division between history and archaeology. By re-uniting the two discourses of archaeology and history, and bridging the gap between pre-contact and the present, Rodney Harrison and Christine Williamson (as editors), and the individual authors of the papers in the volume, deserve our congratulations and thanks.--Anne Ross, University of Queensland "Archaeology In Oceania, (1) April 2004 "

These papers contribute significantly to Australia's archaeology and history.--Judy Birmingham "Australian Archaeology "

This collection of papers is a resource for understanding how parallel situations are playing out elsewhere, allowing us to gain from their experiences, and for this reason alone the volume is worthwhile.--Canadian Journal of Archaeology

From the Publisher

This collection of papers is a resource for understanding how parallel situations are playing out elsewhere, allowing us to gain from their experiences, and for this reason alone the volume is worthwhile.

Canadian Journal Of Archaeology

One can see this volume as a useful basis for viewing how Australian scholars, courts, and the Euro-Australian and Aboriginal publics are grappling with the role of archaeology in the current national land-rights debate.

Journal Of Anthropological Research

These papers contribute significantly to Australia's archaeology and history.
— Judy Birmingham

Australian Archaeology