The ethics of visibility: Archaeology, conservation and memories of settler colonialism

Abstract

The visibility created by archaeology and heritage conservation brings ethical responsibilities derived from how visibility provides the ‘condition of possibility’ for strategies of power and control. But through their material endurance, heritage places also provide opportunities for strategies of resistance and for individuals and groups to seek ethical experiences of reconciliation, recognition and respect in terms of their own particular social justice concerns and identity politics. In settler societies, colonial archaeological remains can be approached as ‘imperial debris’-locations where we can examine the ‘the longevity of structures of dominance and the uneven pace with which people can extricate themselves from the colonial order of things’.