ReOrient – Beyond Decolonization in Archaeology

Kong Fai Cheong

Decolonization in archaeology is the process in which research, interpretation, and management of the past are made just, fair, respectful, equitable, and inclusive, by challenging and transforming the colonial influence embedded in archaeological practice. Archaeology in the Indo-Pacific, being a Western academic discipline, was historically developed alongside colonialism. This is a flawed practice in that it often prioritized the material evidence over spiritual, experiential, and oral traditions that created issues that are still being dealt with because of the colonial looting, removal, and display of indigenous artifacts and human remains in Western institutions. Over the last decade, many projects and research have been supposed to be practicing decolonization, but they are mere lip service. All projects, be it Western led or not, still operate within a typical colonial structure, where local archaeologists and researchers are treated as informants and field hands with their local cultural knowledge and practice marginalized instead of as equal partners where their knowledge forms the main research questions and methodology. Archaeology being historically a field that centred Eurocentric ontologies, and justified colonial projects are almost impossible to decolonize. So, in this paper, I will propose that we instead reorient by focusing on what we know locally, on the research questions that are important and most beneficial to us locally, on archaeological practices that have worked well all along, as well as distancing ourselves from the need for proximity to whiteness. Examples of practices will be drawn from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.