Dominant narratives, social violence and the practice of Bolivian archaeology

Abstract

Recent social violence in Bolivia is examined in the context of that country's dominant historical narratives. The practice of archaeology in Bolivia is intimately tied to the development of nationalism and a history of colonialism. While the history of Bolivian archaeology has seen multiple interpretations of the past, the dominant voices have consistently emphasized understandings of the past that legitimize and bolster Bolivian nationalism and contemporary social politics. In particular, theAltiplano site ofTiwanaku has been formulated as a locus of Bolivian national patrimony, while other regions have been marginalized as ‘peripheries’ or ‘frontiers’. This understanding of history is not simply a matter of debate for archaeologists, but has very real consequences in present-day geopolitics and the lives of individuals.