Abstract
Bioarchaeologists studying violence have demonstrated that fractures and weaponry can inform about past social, political, and economic structures. Violence therefore has assumed increased visibility in academic venues during recent years. In addition, this “dark side” of humankind has always fascinated the public. As we move into the twenty-first-century digital world, it becomes increasingly important that our research results are accurately and effectively communicated to various audiences, which include our colleagues as well as large and diverse nonspecialist communities. In this chapter, we explore ways in which violence has been used to reinforce stereotypic and prejudged images of past peoples, and we discuss several case studies that demonstrate the importance of clear communication, highlighting missteps as well as providing suggestions for improved dialogue with the public on the topic of violence in the past. We conclude with a discussion of the potential benefits of employing experimental bioarchaeology when “speaking out.”
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Notes
- 1.
This includes cultural and archaeological institutions, professional bodies, and sections of the tourism industry.
- 2.
The authors have observed that in Scandinavian museums, women, children, and the elderly are well-represented (e.g., Stockholm, Sweden, http://historiska.se/home/). This contrasts with many British museums and interpretations (visual/written) (http://www.britishmuseum.org/).
- 3.
For example, words such as suggest or potentially, which for us contain important shades of gray, but are removed because they indicate uncertainty. Technical words such as descriptive terminologies are also replaced or deleted.
- 4.
The highly contested work by Pinker, Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, was recommended in 2018 by Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg for the World Economic Forum (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/12/davos-bill-gates-mark-zuckerberg-what-to-read).
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Redfern, R.C., Fibiger, L. (2019). Bioarchaeological Evidence for Prehistoric Violence: Use and Misuse in the Popular Media. In: Buikstra, J.E. (eds) Bioarchaeologists Speak Out. Bioarchaeology and Social Theory. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93012-1_3
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