Doctoral Dissertation Research: Communities and Sociopolitical Integration in Pre-Columbian Dominica, West Indies

博士论文研究：前哥伦布时期多米尼加、西印度群岛的社区和社会政治一体化

• 批准号: 1240920
• 负责人: Michael Heckenberger
• 金额: $ 2.76万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1240920&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Communities; Sociopolitical

Under the direction of Dr. Michael Heckenberger, Isaac Shearn will conduct a one-year archaeological study of Dominica, a volcanic island in the southern Lesser Antilles noted for its intense topographic variability, rugged coastline, high rainfall, dense tropical forests, and fertile volcanic soils. The main objective of the project is to characterize settlement patterns and artifact variability within and between micro-regions in order to determine the degree of integration between communities on Dominica during the Late Ceramic Age (ca. A.D. 1000-1500). The project provides the basis for Mr. Shearn's doctoral dissertation research.Relatively little archaeological work has been done on the pre-Columbian period in Dominica in comparison to most other islands in the region. The proposed research represents the first major syntheses of long-term archaeological investigations on this island. The proposed research will help resolve important problems in contemporary Caribbean archaeology, as well as test new geospatial methods for identifying communities in the archaeological record of the islands. By applying contemporary theory on the archaeology of communities to region-specific problems, this research will advance both the understanding of regional community organization, and broader theoretical and methodological issues surrounding the concept of community in Anthropology. In particular, this project will help identify the nature of socio-political integration in smaller, rich islands of the Lesser Antilles, and whether they represent small scale complex societies, which has broad relevance to understanding similar settings in other world areas.Three primary research questions guide the study: 1) Were multiple sites within micro-regions integrated communities or do sites represent basically autonomous local communities?; 2) Were communities within micro-regions autonomous or were they integrated with other such communities in other micro-regions into higher-order regional communities?; and 3) If integrated, how were higher-order communities organized with respect to sociopolitical hierarchy and/or heterarchy within and between micro-regions? To address these questions, specific objectives of the proposed research include: identification of sites; characterization of variability in terms of site size and structure; characterization of relations between sites within the micro-region based on distance, intervisibility, and geographic setting; and collection of artifacts to provide evidence of interaction, including intra- and inter-island exchange. Excavations and systematic surface collections will be conducted within three micro-regions of Dominica to provide comparable datasets from each micro-region, and from multiple sites within each micro-region. The analysis will indicate whether communities included hierarchical characteristics, such as centers for specialized socio-political, ritual or economic activities or were more heterarchical, involving structurally similar and/or autonomous local groups.The proposed research will include significant public outreach initiatives designed to promote cultural heritage management by raising awareness about the island's Amerindian history and the value of archaeological sites as cultural resources; and promote local participation in the execution, interpretation, and presentation of the research. To accomplish these objectives, Mr. Shearn will present lectures at community centers and schools, and participate in radio broadcasts; produce informational posters and exhibits for display in village community centers and national parks; design an exhibit for the Dominica Museum; and provide opportunities for students and others to participate in all stages of the research and design methods for the dissemination of the results.

在迈克尔·赫肯伯格博士的指导下，艾萨克·肖恩将对多米尼加进行为期一年的考古研究。多米尼加是小安的列斯群岛南部的一个火山岛，以其地形多变、崎岖的海岸线、高降雨量、茂密的热带森林和肥沃的火山土壤而闻名。该项目的主要目标是描述微区域内部和微区域之间的定居模式和人工制品的可变性，以确定多米尼加社区在陶瓷时代晚期（约公元1000-1500年）的整合程度。该项目为肖恩博士的博士论文研究提供了基础。与该地区的大多数其他岛屿相比，多米尼加前哥伦布时期的考古工作相对较少。这项拟议的研究是对这个岛上长期考古调查的第一次主要综合。拟议的研究将有助于解决当代加勒比考古学中的重要问题，并测试新的地理空间方法，以便在岛屿的考古记录中确定社区。通过将当代社区考古学理论应用于区域特定问题，本研究将促进对区域社区组织的理解，以及围绕人类学社区概念的更广泛的理论和方法问题。特别是，这个项目将有助于确定小安的列斯群岛较小的富裕岛屿的社会政治一体化的性质，以及它们是否代表小规模的复杂社会，这对了解世界其他地区的类似情况具有广泛的相关性。三个主要的研究问题指导了这项研究：1)微区域内的多个站点是综合社区还是基本上代表自治的地方社区？2)微区域内的社区是自治的，还是与其他微区域内的其他社区整合为更高层次的区域社区？3)如果整合，微区域内部和微区域之间的社会政治等级和/或层次结构是如何组织高阶社区的？为了解决这些问题，拟议研究的具体目标包括：确定地点；在场地大小和结构方面的可变性特征；基于距离、互通性和地理环境的微区域内遗址之间关系的表征；并收集文物，以提供相互作用的证据，包括岛屿内和岛屿间的交流。将在多米尼加的三个微区域内进行挖掘和系统的地表收集，以提供来自每个微区域和每个微区域内多个地点的可比数据集。分析将表明社区是否包括等级特征，如专门的社会政治、仪式或经济活动中心，或更多的层次特征，包括结构相似和/或自治的地方群体。拟议的研究将包括重要的公共宣传倡议，旨在通过提高对该岛美洲印第安人历史和考古遗址作为文化资源的价值的认识来促进文化遗产管理；并促进当地参与研究的执行、解释和展示。为了实现这些目标，肖恩先生将在社区中心和学校演讲，并参加电台广播；制作信息海报和展览，在乡村社区中心和国家公园展出；为多米尼加博物馆设计展览；并提供机会，让学生和其他人参与研究的各个阶段，并设计方法，传播成果。