Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Fars, Shiraz, Eram Campus, Shiraz University
Abstract
This article examines the development of archaeology as a discipline closely entangled with imperialism and nationalism during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Drawing on Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, it employs a critical historical approach to analyze how archaeology was shaped by and contributed to the political agendas of expanding European empires. Far from a neutral pursuit of knowledge, archaeology emerged as a key cultural technology for legitimizing colonial power and constructing civilizational hierarchies that placed the West at the center of historical progress.
The article explores how the formation of national museums and the classification of ancient artifacts became part of broader imperial strategies, turning archaeological discoveries into symbols of authority and cultural prestige. European powers often competed in this arena, using excavations, collections, and institutional displays to assert dominance over colonized regions and their histories.
While brief reference is made to Iran to illustrate broader patterns, the article’s focus remains on the conceptual and institutional frameworks that connected archaeology to imperial governance and nationalist ideology. It considers how archaeological practices—through excavation, display, and scholarly interpretation—served to rewrite the past in ways that supported political objectives, whether colonial or national.
By tracing these interconnections, the study argues that archaeology must be understood as a discipline with deeply political origins. Recognizing this legacy is vital to critically rethinking the role of archaeology in both historical and contemporary contexts, especially in relation to cultural authority, identity, and the representation of the past.
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