Description
Book SynopsisConfronting national, linguistic and disciplinary boundaries, contributors to
African Archaeology Without Frontiers argue against artificial limits and divisions created through the study of ‘ages’ that in reality overlap and cannot and should not be understood in isolation. Papers are drawn from the proceedings of the landmark 14th PanAfrican Archaeological Association Congress held in Johannesburg in 2014, nearly seven decades after the conference planned for 1951 was relocated to Algiers following the National Party’s rise to power in South Africa. Contributions by keynote speakers Chapurukha Kusimba and AkinOgundiran encourage African archaeologists to practise an archaeology that collaborates across many related fields of study to enrich our understanding of the past. The nine papers cover a broad geographical sweep by incorporating material on ongoing projects throughout the continent, including South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, Togo, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria. Thematically, the papers included in the volume address issues of identity and interaction, and the need to balance cultural heritage management and sustainable development derived from a continent racked by social inequalities and crippling poverty. Edited by three leading archaeologists, the collection covers many aspects of African archaeology, and a range of periods from the earliest hominins to the historical period.
Trade Review"This set of conference proceedings will be a classic, like all the others, and consulted long after its immediate applicability has waned ... It captures the depth and breadth of archaeological research on the African continent and refl ects the state of archaeology at a particular point in time". - Natalie Swanepoel, Department of Anthropology & Archaeology, University of South Africa
Table of ContentsKeynote Address 1 Imagining an African Archaeology Without Frontiers Chapurukha M. Kusimba; Keynote Address 2 Collapsing Boundaries: A Continental Vision for African Archaeology Akin Ogundiran; Chapter 1 The 'Useable' Archaeology Of Recent African Farming Systems: Comparative and Collaborative Perspectives from East (Marakwet), West (Tiv) and South (Bokoni) Africa- Matthew Davies, Caleb Adebayo Folorunso, Timothy Kipkeu Kipruto, Freda M'Mbogori, Henrietta L. Moore, Emuobosa Orijemie and Alex Schoeman; Chapter 2: What Is It? - Cultural Heritage Resources among the Makonde Community of Mtwara Region of Tanzania - Festo W. Gabriel; Chapter 3: The Indigenous Roots of Swahili Culture in Pangani Bay, Tanzania: Continuity and Change in an Archaeological Assemblage - Elinaza Mjema; Chapter 4; Is this an anvil? The multi-functionality of iron bloom crushing (Likumanjool) sites in the Bassar region of Northern Togo - Philip de Barros and Gabriella Lucidi; Chapter 5: Rock Art in Cameroon, Knowledge, New Discoveries and Sub-Regional Extension - Narcisse Santores Tchandeu; Chapter 6: Archaeological Studies on Iron Age Settlement History in the Northwestern Congo Basin - Dirk Seidensticker; Chapter 7: Glass Trade Beads at Thabadimasego, Botswana: Analytical Results and Some Implications - Adrianne Daggett, Marilee Wood and Laure Dussubieux; Chapter 8: Blurring Boundaries: Forager-Farmer Interactions and Settlement Change on the Greater Mapungubwe Landscape, Southern Africa - Tim Forssman; Chapter 9: Challenges Facing Heritage Management in South Africa: Implementation of a Web-Based National Heritage Management System - Kate Smuts and Nick Wiltshire.
