Universalism, historical difference, and modern human origins

• In Event: Decolonising the Deep Past: Archaeological Narratives, Human Origins and Indigeneity

Abstract

Human origins continue to be one of the most popular themes in archaeology. New findings and discoveries that supposedly ‘rewrite the history books’ appear in the general news on a regular basis. This contemporary field of study is characterised by the increased use of sophisticated scientific technologies and techniques, and interdisciplinary collaboration between a wide range of natural sciences. However, with this bourgeoning of data available to inform our narratives of human origins, relatively little room has been left for critical theoretical reflection. One of the key issues to be discussed in this paper is that interpretations in this field are still guided by problematic and long-lasting assumptions about the nature of humanity and its past.
This paper will critically explore some aspects of recent interpretations of (modern) human origins and will provide several examples to demonstrate the relevance of postcolonial reflection and critique for understanding deep time historical processes and their interpretation. We argue that both the explanans as well as the explanandum in the study of human evolution and origins have been directly and indirectly shaped by the experience of modern European colonialism. In this case, the explanandum is modern human variability or what is constructed as modern humanity and the explanans is evolutionary theory in its various forms, developed since the mid-19th century. Examples drawn from the experience of colonialism in Australia are particularly relevant for demonstrating the entangled and ongoing political and colonial influences on the production of knowledge in this field.

Authors

• Martin Porr, University of Western Australia

• Jacqueline Matthews, Monash University