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Articles

Political economy and global repercussions: reflections on past and present in global historical archaeology

Economie politique et répercussions globales : réflexions sur le passé et le présent en archéologie historique globale

Politische ökonomie und globale auswirkungen: reflexionen über vergangenheit und gegenwart in der globalen historischen archäologie

Economía política y repercusiones globales: reflexiones sobre el pasado y el presente en la arqueología histórica mundial

Economia politica e ripercussioni globali: riflessioni sul passato e sul presente nell'archeologia storica globale

Pages 134-145 | Published online: 19 Jul 2018
 

Abstract

SUMMARY: The seven articles of this special issue of Post-Medieval Archaeology provide a background to this paper. Their various interpretations and operationalizations have provided a plethora of perspectives and localities concerning past political economies. This paper aims to further the discussion of political economy and its relevance in historical archaeology. The very many connections between economy, identity, culture, production, mentality and perception are the foundations of this special issue and also of this article. The paper starts by looking back at how Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx used the concept of political economy and what it might mean in an archaeological context today. The examination then follows three brief cases of individuals in the early modern period and how they related to, and interacted with, the political economy of their time and space. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of putting material culture and spatial studies into the discussion in order to trace entanglements and connections of political economies of past societies.

RÉSUMÉ: Economie politique et répercussions globales : réflexions sur le passé et le présent en archéologie historique globale. Les sept articles de cette édition spéciale de Post-Medieval Archaeology fournissent un contexte à cet article. Les interprétations variées et les opérationnalisations ont fourni une pléthore de perspectives et de lieux concernant les économies politiques du passé. Cet article vise à pousser la discussion de l'économie politique et sa pertinence en archéologie historique. Les très nombreuses connexions entre économie, identité, culture, production, mentalité et perception sont les fondements de cette édition spéciale ainsi que de cet article.

L'article commence par revoir comment Friedrich Engels et Karl Marx ont utilisé le concept d'économie politique et ce que cela peut signifier dans un contexte archéologique aujourd'hui. L'examen suit ensuite trois brefs cas d'individus au début de l'époque moderne et comment ils étaient reliés à et interagissaient avec l'économie politique de leur temps et de leur environnement. L'article conclut en soulignant l'importance de placer la culture matérielle et les études spatiales dans le débat afin de retracer les enchevêtrements et les connexions des économies politiques des sociétés du passé.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Politische ökonomie und globale auswirkungen: reflexionen über vergangenheit und gegenwart in der globalen historischen archäologie. Die sieben Artikel dieser Spezialausgabe des Post-Medieval Archäologie Journals bieten einen Hintergrund zu diesem Artikel. Ihre verschiedenen Interpretationen und Bearbeitungen lieferten eine Fülle von Perspektiven und Orten der politischen Ökonomien. Diese Studie soll die Diskussion über politische Ökonomie und seine Relevanz in der historischen Archäologie darstellen. Sehr viele Verbindungen zwischen Wirtschaft, Identität, Kultur, Produktion, Mentalität und Wahrnehmung sind die Grundlagen dieser besonderen Frage und auch dieses Artikels. Der Artikel beginnt mit einem Rückblick, wie Karl Marx und Friedrich Engels den Begriff der politischen Ökonomie verwendet haben, und was das heute im archäologischen Kontext bedeuten könnte. Drei kurze Fälle von Einzelpersonen der frühen Neuzeit folgen der Studie, und wie sie im Zusammenhang mit politischer Ökonomie in Zeit und Raum interagierten. Der Artikel kommt zu dem Schluss, wie wichtig es ist, die Bedeutung der materiellen Kultur und Räumlichkeit in der Diskussion um die Verstrickungen und Verbindungen der politischen Ökonomien der vergangenen Gesellschaften zu betonen.

RIASSUNTO: Economia politica e ripercussioni globali: riflessioni sul passato e sul presente nell'archeologia storica globale. I sette articoli contenuti in questo numero speciale di Post-Medieval Archaeology costituiscono la cornice di riferimento per questo lavoro. Le diverse interpretazioni fornite e gli aspetti operativi presentati hanno fornito un gran numero di prospettive e casi concreti di studio sulle economie politiche del passato. Questo contributo intende portare avanti la discussione sull’economia politica e sulla sua rilevanza rispetto all’archeologia storica. I numerosi collegamenti fra economia, identità, cultura, produzione, mentalità e percezione sono alla base sia di questo numero speciale, sia di questo articolo, che si apre ripercorrendo il modo in cui Friedrich Engels e Karl Marx impiegarono il concetto di economia politica, considerando cosa questo possa significare nel contesto archeologico odierno. L’analisi prosegue con tre bevi casi di studio riferiti a individui della prima età moderna, considerando come questi si relazionarono e interagirono con l’economia politica del luogo e del tempo in cui vissero. Il lavoro si conclude ponendo l’accento su quanto sia importante includere nella discussione la cultura materiale e gli studi territoriali, così da delineare i legami e le connessioni delle economie politiche delle società del passato.

RESUMEN: Economía política y repercusiones globales: reflexiones sobre el pasado y el presente en la arqueología histórica mundial. Los siete artículos de este número especial de Post-Medieval Archaeology son los antecedentes de este artículo. Sus diversas interpretaciones y operaciones han proporcionado una plétora de perspectivas y situaciones con respecto a las economías políticas pasadas. Este artículo tiene como objetivo promover una discusión sobre la economía política y su relevancia en la arqueología histórica. Las muchas conexiones entre economía, identidad, cultura, producción, mentalidad y percepción son los fundamentos de este número especial y también de este artículo.

El artículo comienza con una mirada atrás, examinado cómo Friedrich Engels y Karl Marx utilizaron el concepto de economía política y lo que podría significar en un contexto arqueológico actual. A continuación se narran tres casos breves de individuos en el período moderno temprano y cómo se relacionaron e interactuaron con la economía política de su tiempo y espacio. El artículo concluye recalcando la importancia de incluir la cultura material y los estudios espaciales en la discusión para trazar los enredos y las conexiones de las economías políticas de las sociedades del pasado.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my gratitude for the confidence expressed by Audrey Horning and Stephen Mrozowski in having me comment on the papers of this volume, first as drafts in an overcrowded room at the SHA conference 2016 in Washington DC/Powhatan, and again as finished articles in Post-Medieval Archaeology. This paper was written as part of the research project: ‘A Colonial Arena: Landscape, People and Globalization in Inland Northern Sweden in the Early Modern Period’ funded by the Swedish Research Council.

Notes

3 Chakrabarty 2000.

4 Bellamy Foster 1999.

5 Bhambra 2007; 2014.

6 Bhambra 2014, 19–37.

7 Williams 1944.

8 Raj 2007, 60–94.

9 Kosík 1963.

10 cf. Lucas 2013.

11 cf. Maifreda 2012, 178.

12 Dwyer Amussen 2007; Vaughan 2006.

13 cf. Ojala & Nordin 2015.

14 Erikson & Samila 2015; Magnusson 1994.

15 Lachèvre 1918.

16 Wells 2008.

17 Lachèvre 1918.

18 Maifreda 2012, 171, 192–4.

19 Industrial innovation and religious conviction during the 17th century need not be only associated with Protestantism, as shown by Raj 2007.

20 See, for instance, Schama 1987.

21 Weber 2002 [1920].

22 Wells 2008, 100.

23 Maifreda 2012, 178–9.

24 De Vries 2008.

25 Evans 2012; see also Evans & Rydén 2007.

26 Evans 2012, 71.

27 Evans 2012, 91.

28 Bedoire 2009, 10–97.

29 Awebro 1995–97, 716–20.

30 Nordin & Ojala 2017a.

31 Magnusson 1994; Jespersen 2016, 330.

32 Nordin & Ojala 2017b.

33 Nordin 2016, 259–60.

34 Even though women could not be ennobled per se, they were certainly active parties in the process.

35 For instance, they gave the young King Charles XI a group of mechanical soldiers, led by a mounted officer on a mechanical horse, all made of iron and probably made at the brothers’ own works.

36 Morton 1985.

37 Bedoire 2009, 129–30; Nordin & Ojala 2017b.

38 cf. Eriksdotter, Nilsson & Nordin 2015, 138–41.

39 e.g. Nordin 2017.

40 Nordin & Ojala 2015; 2017b.

41 See, for instance, the French traveller and playwright Jean François Regnard who mentions the stealing of a Sámi drum in his journal written in 1681; Regnard 1874 [1681].

42 Talbot 2010, 55.

43 Talbot 2010, 55; Nordin 2017.

44 Talbot 2010, 45–9.

45 cf. Bergesen 2015.

46 Talbot 2010, 315–16.

47 Gosden 2004, 27.

48 Gosden 2004, 28, cf. also White 1991.

49 Gosden 2004.

50 Gosden 2004, 27–8.

51 Pech 2007.

52 De Campos Françozo 2017.

53 Said 1993, 80–97; cf. also Finch 2014.

54 Finch 2014.

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