FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES,
WORLDWIDE ARCHAEOLOGY TODAY IS GROWING AT A VERY FAST PACE AND DIFFERENTIALLY TOO.
IT IS DIFFERENTIAL IN THE SENSE THAT THE VARIOUS REGIONAL TRADITIONS, THE ANGLO-AMERICAN, THE EUROPEAN, THE SOUTH AMERICAN, THE AFRICAN, THE VERY VAST ASIAN, THE PACIFIC TRADITIONS INCLUDING THE COUNTRIES OF THE NEAR AND FAR EAST, THE AUSTRALIAN AND AUSTRALASIAN, THE POLYNESIAN AND SO ON...ARE ALL, AND HAVE BEEN, SETTING THEIR OWN COURSE, EVER SINCE THE CROSS-CULTURALLY DOMINANT NEW ARCHAEOLOGY WAS CONSIGNED TO THE DUSTY SHELVES OF VARIOUS LIBRARIES.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE POST-MODERN OR POST-COLONIAL, OR POSTPROCESSUAL ARCHAEOLOGY IS IN. BY ITS VERY DEFINITION, THAT IS TO CHALLENGE THE AGE OF SCIENCE AND REASON WITH ITS ATTENDANT METANARRATIVES, WITH A NEW APPROACH OF BREAKING-DOWN THE FIELD, IN TERMS OF DOING ARCHAEOLOGY ACCORDING TO THE NEEDS OF EACH SOCIETY, HOWEVER BIG OR SMALL, ENGAGING IN ARCHAEOLOGY.
HOW WELL ARE WE GEARED TO DAY, IN INDIA, TO MEET THIS TRANSFORMATION SWEEPING THE FIELD OF ARCHAEOLOGY WORLD-WIDE?
IT WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO SAY THAT THIS IS JUST ANOTHER `FOREIGN BUZZ-PHRASE' `ANOTHER-FAD' AND FINALLY THAT `IT-WILL-PASS' JUST LIKE ALL OTHER THINGS. WE WOULD BE NO BETTER THAN OSTRICHES TO BE TAKING SUCH A VIEW.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAGE, IS TO BRING TO YOUR KIND ATTENTION SOME OF THE PRECEPTS OF THIS NEW ARCHAEOLOGY AND TO TRY TO DEFINE ITS RELEVANCE FIRST OF ALL IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT.
I SHALL BE POSTING MY NOTES AND NEWS ON THIS PAGE, IN THIS REGARD, AND WOULD WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS, WHERE POSSIBLE, TO START A DEBATE.
THANK YOU!!
AJAY
