Course overview
This course examines how power and identity are constructed, expressed, and negotiated through material culture and archaeological practice. It explores how social difference, such as status, gender, class, ancestry, and authority, is materialised in objects, landscapes, and bodies, and how these expressions both reinforce and challenge systems of power. Drawing on case studies from Australia, the Mediterranean, and global contexts, the course considers how identities are shaped in life and death, how power operates through material practices, and how archaeology contributes to contemporary debates about inequality, heritage, and representation.
- Power, politics, and inequality in the past
- Identity and embodiment
- Archaeology, ethics, and contemporary challenges
Course learning outcomes
- Analyse how power and identity are expressed through material culture
- Apply archaeological theory to interpret social relationships in the past
- Critically evaluate how archaeology engages with contemporary issues such as inequality, gender, and heritage
- Communicate complex ideas clearly in written and oral formats
Availability
Class details
Adelaide City Campus East
Group 1
Class number 67864
Section TU01
Size 48
Available 43
Class number 67863
Section LE01
Size 48
Available 43
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