1st Edition
Sacred Sites, Sacred Places
Sacred Sites, Sacred Places explores the concept of 'sacred' and what it means to people in differing cultures. Archaeologists, legislators and those involved in heritage management sometimes come into conflict with local populations over sites which these communities consider to be sacred. This volume is unique in attempting to describe the belief systems surrounding such sites, and in relating these beliefs and practices to the practical problems of heritage management. The book demonstrates the need to accommodate those beliefs which are a vital part of ongoing cultural identity.
The geographical coverage of this collection is exceptionally wide and its range of contributors, including indigenous peoples, archaeologists, anthropologists and heritage professionals, is unrivalled in any other publication.
Biography
David Carmichael is Assistant Professor in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Texas at El Paso; Jane Hubert, a social anthropologist, is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry of Disability at St. George's Hospital Medical School, London; Brian Reeves is Professor Emeritus at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Audhild Schanche is Director of the Council of Saami Cultural Heritage, Norway.
'... the volume is timely and well considered. Its contents really speak for themselves, and the book deserves the widest dissemination, - Antiquaries Journal
'For archaeologists, this volume offers a new perspective for understanding cultural materials. For students of traditional cosmologies, there is a valuable reminder that indigenous culture and traditions do not form a unified field; within apparently archetypical beliefs and practices, there are rich remarkable variations.' - Cosmos
'... lucid and widely referenced discussion ...' - Ecumene
'... it addresses important issues, notably the symbolic importance of place - not just a site seen in isolation, but significant in the overall context of its society and its symbolic structures - and the role of archaeology in resolving the conflict between traditional cultures and modern society. ... I have long felt that archaeology has a role in the 'green debate'. ... this volume goes a long way to defining that role.' - Antiquity
'... the volume is timely and well considered. Its contents really speak for themselves, and the book deserves the widest dissemination.' - Antiquaries Journal
"...the diversity and insights that these papers offer make Sacred Sites, Sacred Places essential reading into an area which is poorly understood and only recently being considered worthy of scholarly study in its own right. - 3rd Stone
