Introduction: Contested and Political Landscapes

Routledge eBooks, pp. 15–27

Abstract

This book focuses on alternative definitions of landscape in archaeology, particularly those that explicitly address the conflicts, contestations, and political aspects of landscapes. This volume emphasises the non-static, dialogic nature of landscape within a community. It acknowledges how different communities’ construction and relationship with the landscape can lead to tensions and even violence with other groups. It highlights the relevance of considering movement, borders, and conflict as a source for understanding how people create their landscapes and how they reshape them during political conflicts. For example, in contexts like colonisation and war, people are forced to adapt to new politics and hierarchies as their personal and communal understanding of the world is deeply transformed. This is visible today as political tensions constantly reshape local and global landscapes. Understanding the creation and contestation of landscapes in the past is essential for understanding political, economic, and cultural manifestations in the present to better organise ourselves for a truly integrative future.

Authors 1

1. Eduardo Herrera Malatesta corresponding Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University