Tragedy or transformation: Australian archaeology at the crossroads (again)

Abstract

The success of Dark Emu has reawakened old debates in Australian archaeology. The hunter/ farmer debate and the embeddedness of interpretation in postcolonial narratives have been key issues in Australian archaeology since the 1970s and 1980s. I am sympathetic, therefore, to the main arguments of the Forum piece regarding a more critical, socially conscious approach, but these also need to be contextualised historically. Most issues can be found in the earlier debates.