Archaeology, Nation, and Race

by Raphael Greenberg, Yannis Hamilakis

Archaeology, Nation, and Race is a must-read book for students of archaeology and adjacent fields. It demonstrates how archaeology and concepts of antiquity have shaped, and have been shaped by colonialism, race, and nationalism. Structured as a lucid and lively dialogue between two leading scholars, the volume compares modern Greece and modern Israel – two prototypical and influential cases – where archaeology sits at the very heart of the modern national imagination. Exchanging views on the foundational myths, moral economies, and racial prejudices in the field of archaeology and beyond, Hamilakis and Greenberg explore topics such as the colonial origins of national archaeologies, the crypto-colonization of the countries and their archaeologies, the role of archaeology as a process of purification, and the racialization and 'whitening' of Greece and Israel and their archaeological and material heritage. They conclude with a call for decolonization and the need to forge alliances with subjugated communities and new political movements.

Genres: History

234 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2022

Reviews

[Stav Bartel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greenberg and Hamilakis engage in a rich dialogue on the history and future of archaeology in Greece and Israel through a radically critical post-colonial lens. They address a wide range of ethical, practical, and professional aspects of archaeological conduct—issues often overlooked as they remain behind the curtains of the archaeological stage.

A recurring theme throughout the book is that modern archaeology developed as a tool of European colonialism, and that modern Greece and Israel are, in fact, colonialist states in denial—so-called "crypto-colonies." The authors conclude with a vision of a "decolonization" of archaeology, as part of a broader project of societal and national decolonization. To achieve this, they argue, one must liberate oneself from the colonialist constraints imposed on imagination.

This book is much more about contemporary ideological debates than about practical matters of archaeological thought and practice. It is filled with explicitly political views and ideas commonly found in radical leftist and progressive circles. Many of these ideas merit discussion, but they are often presented as established historical and sociological facts. As such, the book falls short of being a balanced academic discussion and instead reads more like a political manifesto shaped by a specific ideological agenda.

Overall, while the book touches on many important issues that deserve attention, Greenberg and Hamilakis's approach to criticism can feel tedious. Their reduction of the archaeological enterprise to a racist, chauvinistic, "white" construct aligns with a broader wave of postmodern theories which, as Ken Wilber put it, "aim to deconstruct everybody else's ideas, leaving the wielder of this postmodernist demolition as the king or queen of the academic hill."

[Cristobal Peña · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting read regarding how Greece and Israel have weaponized certain parts of their archeology to eliminate or justify certain political things.
Chapter 5 is definitely worth a read even on its own if you are interested in the topic.