Kulvinder Nagre

Archaeology in Society, and Society in Archaeology               

My research concerns the intersections between archaeological ‘knowledge’ and hegemonic narratives of Eurocentrism, coloniality, and nationalist populism. Specifically, my PhD project is concerned with the ways in which archaeological knowledge is constructed, disseminated, and consumed in contemporary British society, and the extent to which knowledge at these stages is influenced by broader hegemonic narratives and structural concerns.

Early archaeology was inherently tied to the European colonial enterprise. Early excavators and explorers were often funded directly from Imperial coffers, and their work fed directly into the growing narrative of European exceptionalism and historical primacy, theories of race science, and teleological perspectives on global ‘development’. The ensuing decades have seen many of these theories expunged from ‘mainstream’ academic archaeology, in favour of more inclusive theories and robust praxis. And yet, narratives on world history within ‘wider society’, throughout different forms of media, and in school curricula, have not necessarily echoed these revisions, and have often served to actively reify outdated colonial perspectives. These issues have come to a head with the so-called ‘culture war’ of the late 2010s and 2020s, as actors across the political spectrum have sought to weaponise selective elements of the archaeological and historical record for political gain.

The role of archaeologists and heritage practitioners within these discussions is in need of evaluation. Are we doing anything to combat misuses of archaeological knowledge? Should we? If so, can we do better? I will be using anthropological, archival, and genealogical research methods in response to these questions, and it is hoped that this research will give us a better picture of the ways in which archaeological narratives are mobilised outside of the ‘ivory tower’. Results could thus be used to inform future academic outreach practices.

Funding 

UCL & The Windsor Fellowship Research Opportunity Scholarship

Education

• BA, Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Bristol, 2018

• MA, Archaeology, UCL, 2019