Identities as socio-material networks: past and present configurations in South America and beyond.

This project seeks to establish a research network to discuss the ongoing processes of indigenous re-emergence in South America and beyond, and develop innovative concepts to meet the expectations of this rapidly evolving socio-political environment. The network will be built through two interdisciplinary workshops exploring conceptual and methodological issues, looking at how scholarly frameworks affect, as much as they are affected by, the politics and the lived experience of cultural heritage. Two research organisations will host the workshops: the Archaeology Institute and Museum at the National University of Tucumán (Argentina) in April 2011, and the Archaeology Department at Exeter University in September 2011. Funds are requested for 14 months to organise and carry out the workshops, develop the network discussions, and generate the outputs.

It has become increasingly evident that scholarly practices are embedded in the processes they seek to understand. Cultural politics have increasingly challenged the traditional roles of academic scholarship in the last decades, a situation that has prompted the development of ethically aware and culturally sensitive innovative research practices worldwide. In South America and NW Argentina in particular, valuable efforts by individuals and small research teams have resulted in promising results, yet their long-term impact is at risk due to the absence of interdisciplinary dialogue and the relative marginality from the global networks that channel ideas and resources. There is therefore a pressing need to insert the region within a broader context within the international flow of resources and information. Local experiences and approaches can inform academic practice and policy-making beyond its boundaries, as much as they can benefit from insights drawn from comparable contexts. The workshops will gather specialists in a variety of disciplines (archaeology, socio-cultural anthropology, history, cultural and linguistic studies), whose expertise includes research settings as different as the UK, South America, USA, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East. The participants share a common research interest in identity, material culture, and the socio-politics of research, maximising the potential for mutually beneficial synergies. The wide range of empirical and theoretical vantage points will foster novel creative thinking and analysis.

While broad in scope and potentially relevant for a variety of contexts, this exploration will be tied to very practical matters. Participants from the University of Tucumán collaborate with the Quilmes indigenous community (NW Argentina). Important advances have been achieved, despite being primarily based on fluctuating material and conceptual support. Partly due to these efforts, the Quilmes community has recently regained full management of their iconic archaeological site, the largest archaeological site in Argentina and one of the focal points of native resistance against the Spanish in the 16th century. The project thus aims first at providing an academic space for discussion and knowledge development within a community-oriented setting. This will in turn be a platform to catalyse a sustainable future collaboration with this community. The insight gained through the interactions with UK and other experts will be invaluable for this purpose. The results of the project will be disseminated in a high-ranked refereed journal article, providing an exemplary case study and discussing new pathways for good research practice. The design of a project website and a community-oriented brochure will assist in the flow of communication between the involved academics, and between them and the indigenous stakeholders.

The present project will significantly impact on a variety of aspects concerning the overall quality of academic research and practice, the well-being of vulnerable indigenous communities, and the advancement of the public understanding of cultural diversity. The expected impacts include:

1. Establishing an international multidisciplinary network (archaeology, socio-cultural anthropology, history, cultural and heritage studies) to further the understanding of how scholarly practice and current indigenous cultural re-emergence processes affect each other. This will inform academic discussions and practice widely through a publication in a leading academic journal.

2. Strengthening international relationships between academics based in various countries (the UK, Argentina, US, France and Australia) whose expertise covers a wide range of research locations (UK, South America, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East). The University of Exeter will act as a nexus for international collaboration in the social study of material culture, heritage and identity, thus placing UK-based researchers at the vanguard in this crucial area of public concern.

3. Strengthening the relationships between the local indigenous community of Quilmes and academics via a liaison meeting in which a brochure with project information will be distributed. A bilingual webpage hosted by the Archaeology department at University of Exeter's research website will provide information and updates about the development of the project.

4. Provide the springboard for the development of future collaborations with the indigenous community of Quilmes (see details in the Impact plan)

5. Cultural and social benefits will develop following the enhanced knowledge of the indigenous past and present, not only for the involved indigenous groups but also for the broader community and visitors. More widely, the general public will benefit from the inclusion of multicultural values in the fabric of academic research, via the outpouring effect this exemplary situation can have on different disciplines and ultimately on policy-making.