Archaeological Ethnographies Workshop

Visualizing Archaeological Ethnographies

This paper will explore visual methodologies in the context of archeological ethnographies through the discussion of a film project based on the Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk, Turkey. Although there has been an emerging field of archeological ethnographies, the problems and potentials of different forms of visual representation within this context have rarely been discussed. Our aim is to investigate the problems and potentials of visual representation as a distinctive form of methodology in conducting archaeological ethnographies. In doing so, we will rely on our experience of producing an ethnographic/documentary film on the Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk. The questions we will explore include: What are the contributions of visual methodologies in capturing materiality and temporality? What are the ethical and political issues involved in the visual methodologies in the context of archaeological ethnographies? What are the ways in which social anthropologists, archeologists and documentary filmmakers collaborate in pursuing visual methodologies? What are the primary issues in relation to politics of visual representation in the postcolonial contexts?