| Popis: |
As archaeologists have become increasingly aware, the past is a social construction of the present that is deeply influenced by political interests and ideologies. As these interests and ideologies change, different archaeologies arise and different pasts are created. Historical archaeology, and especially the archaeology of modern colonialism, is particularly susceptible to political and ideological influence since its referent is more recent, and often more emotionally charged, than the more remote past. The Venezuelan case is illustrative. Here, the adoption of the Constitution of 1999 marks the foundation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as “a democratic, participative and protagonistic, multiethnic and pluricultural society, in a just, federal, and decentralized State” (Preambulo de la Constitucion de la Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela; my translation). The Constitution and ensuing laws grant full recognition to the popular sectors that constitute Venezuelan identity and guarantee respect and recognition of interculturality and the principle of equality of cultures, in this way, counteracting the prevailing ideology of mestizaje and homogeneity. Furthermore, these laws promote local agency in the recognition and conservation of cultural and historical patrimony. The implications of this legislation have profound and far-reaching consequences for the conception of the past, its actors, its study, and its conservation. Following a brief synthesis of historical archaeology in Venezuela prior to 1999, I discuss recent investigations and illustrate with case studies the ideological impact of the Bolivarian Revolution on the practice of historical archaeology in Venezuela today. |
