Good Intentions|Bad Archaeology: The uses & abuses of Canadian archaeology against Indigenous people

Paterson 406

Dr. Kisha Supernant of the University of Alberta joined us for the Third 2018 Shannon Lecture on November 9th. This podcast is the audio for her talk. In the lands currently called Canada, archaeology is often used to tell stories about the history of this place, but often at the expense of Indigenous nations. Throughout our disciplinary history, archaeologists have positioned themselves as experts on and stewards of the past for the good of all, even though those pasts are sometimes not our own. In this talk, Dr. Supernant explore how archaeology in Canada has been and continues to be part of the settler colonial state, centering knowledge from archaeologists and heritage practitioners rather than Indigenous peoples. Dr. Supernant provide examples of how archaeological research has marginalized Indigenous voices, even when archaeologists have good intentions, and makes some suggestions for how we can move toward a better archaeology for the future.