Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 270
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-4422-4127-5 • Hardback • September 2016 • $110.00 • (£85.00)
978-1-4422-4128-2 • eBook • September 2016 • $104.00 • (£80.00)
Patricia A. McAnany, Kenan Eminent Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a Maya archaeologist who has conducted field research and cultural heritage programs throughout the Maya region.
List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgments
Part I: Background and the Big Ideas
Chapter 1: Haunting Questions
Chapter 2: Forging Nationalism and Indenturing Labor
Chapter 3:Disciplining the Past
Chapter 4:Rethinking Business as Usual
Chapter 5:Engaging the Shadow of “The Ancient Maya”
Part II: Connecting with Communities around Heritage Issues 163
Chapter 6: Bridges to Community Partnerships
Chapter 7:Maya Area Cultural Heritage Initiative (MACHI)
Part III: In Their Own Words
Chapter 8:Talking Cultural Heritage at School
Chapter 9: Performing the Past, Creating a Future
Chapter 10:Restoring Balance: Pathways to Heritage without Irony
References Cited
Index
A prominent scholar of the ancient Maya, McAnany, author of Living with the Ancestors, turns her attention to finding ways to improve dialogue and collaboration between archaeologists and local, often Indigenous, communities. Archaeologist McAnany has founded two cultural heritage programs at US universities whose mandate is to work with local communities to develop and test educational programs for sharing archaeological findings, heighten local appreciation for Indigenous histories, and involve local peoples in the preservation and exploration of their own cultural landscapes. The first half of this novel book describes how important archaeological sites were alienated from the control of Indigenous peoples in Mexico and Central America, and how local populations became estranged from their own ancient cultural heritage. In the second half of the book, McAnany describes programs that were developed and tested in various sites in the Maya area, and she presents and discusses the results of evaluative questioning that assessed the efficacy of such programs. This book is an important contribution to a debate about the ethics and impacts of archaeological research that will continue to grow in years to come. Readers will find references to the relevant literature and links to program resources especially helpful.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.
— Choice Reviews
In this important work, Patricia McAnany raises many certain-to-be-controversial points that will stimulate a much-needed conversation about the intricacies of “community archaeology.” Maya Cultural Heritage is powerful, accessible, and a must-read for professionals and students alike.
— Jeremy A. Sabloff, Santa Fe Institute
Writing in a crisp, succinct, and engaging style, McAnany unmasks the monolithic conception of “the Maya” as she explores how to design various heritage initiatives and education projects, how to draw public and community support, and how to work with the community as an equal partner. It is a well-researched and refreshing text.
— Katharine Woodhouse-Beyer, Rutgers University
Contextually examines the social and political history of 5 modern Maya-heritage nations in relation to their indigenous peoples and archaeological sites
Engages contemporary discussions and theoretical approaches within anthropology and archaeology as they relate to studies of ethnicity, colonialism/imperialism, indigenous people, and working relations with communities
Written accessibly for professionals and students alike
Valuable resource for those interested in heritage tourism, World Heritage Sites, and indigenous studies as well as for professors, museum educators and community archaeologists
Written in an approachable style that is accessible to advanced undergraduates & avocational Mayanists
Explores the experience of diverse ethno-linguistic Maya peoples with the emergence of the five nation-states in which they reside
Examines the many ways in which Maya peoples today relate to a past that has been packaged for heritage tourism
Features seven years of grass-roots cultural heritage programs conducted collaboratively in rural schools, community centers, and via radio in southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras
Presents responses to surveys conducted with participants in the heritage programs that indicate a desire on the part of both Indigenous and local community members to engage more deeply with the past and to safeguard its conservation