Social and Political Factors in Post-Colonial Indian Archaeology: The Case of Sanghol, Punjab

Gupta, Neha (2015) Social and Political Factors in Post-Colonial Indian Archaeology: The Case of Sanghol, Punjab. Bulletin of the History of Archaeology, 25 (2). ISSN 2047-6930

[img] [English] PDF - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial.

Download (2MB)

Abstract

In this paper, I present the case of Sanghol, Punjab, in Indian archaeology to highlight the influence of social and political factors on the interpretation of archaeological data and the preservation of cultural heritage. Using a geographic approach, I show how geopolitical tensions and the desire for internal political stability influenced archaeological practices in post-colonial India. In the aftermath of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, local archaeological investigations in Sanghol, located 200 kilometres from the sensitive Pakistan-India frontline, piqued the interest of the Archaeological Survey of India, the national department for archaeology and heritage management. The Survey subsequently carried out collaborative field studies in Sanghol between 1986 and 1990, reflecting the changing relationship between the local community and the national government at a time of intense political uncertainty. I argue that there is greater competition and collaboration between knowledge producers in Indian archaeology than has been accepted. This, in turn, impacts our understanding of the practice of national archaeology.

Item Type: Article
URI: http://research.library.mun.ca/id/eprint/11862
Item ID: 11862
Additional Information: Memorial University Open Access Author's Fund
Keywords: Geographic approaches, National archaeology, History of recent archaeology, Post-colonial India, Sanghol, Punjab
Department(s): Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of > Geography
Date: 2015
Date Type: Publication
Geographic Location: Sanghol, Punjab
Related URLs:

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over the past year

View more statistics