The <i>aporiai</i> of Hermeneutic Archaeology. In search for a new validity standard

Abstract

In this paper I claim that British Hermeneutics Archaeology (BHA) is, due to its academic orientation, in a state of contradiction with its original goals. The proposal that archaeology is a political practice has not been carried forward by the practitioners of this theoretical trend. In consequence, I present two arguments that might partially explain the state of contradiction: first, the “esentialist fallacy”, implicating that the BHA ends up essentializing Modernity by its negation. Second, and related with the lack of an Other that questions BHA interpretations, its political practice has been restricted to the academic field. In order to construct the arguments, I synthetize the main trends of Modern Thought and their effect on BHA. Then, I show some critics based on the totalizing tendencies of Modernity. Finally, I suggest a possible solution to the contradictions by considering, following Levinas, that ethics should be first philosophy instead of knowing. This could lead to lay the foundations of a socially engaged Latin American Archaeology.