ABSTRACT
In an increasingly divided world where differences of opinion are thrown into stark opposition to one another, this chapter considers the importance of maintaining certain differences in archaeology, including different standpoints and different ontologies. Ranging from discussions of nationalism to accusations of “hyper-relativism,” and from fiery repatriation debates to Indigenous calls for “nothing about us without us” (Atalay 2019, 524), the multiplicity of the past is well-established in the discipline of archaeology. Building on the key themes of Chapter 7 (evidence and truth), this chapter critically considers this multiplicity, exploring how plural pasts afford new modes of plurality in the present and future. This chapter brings these issues into critical dialogue with archaeological collaboration, community-based participatory research, and contested heritage. Drawing upon case studies from Australia and North America, this chapter argues that archaeologies built with plurality in mind (and often conducted by multiple stakeholders) yield novel forms of archaeological practice, multiple (but not infinite) pasts, and valuable new ways of planning for the future. Of particular interest in this chapter is the issue of difference in the metaphysics of archaeological research. The discussion moves beyond Western dialectical traditions, which frame difference primarily as negative, oppositional, and conflict-driven, to rethink difference once again as a positive and productive force in the world.
