Brazilian archaeology: Indigenous identity in the early decades of the twentieth century

Abstract

Identity is a symbolic construction that defines inclusion, relative position or exclusion of an individual or group in a determined society. Since it is a construction, identity presents two dimensions: first, as a reflection of the interests of the subject that generates it; second, as a pattern in which relationships operate, that is, as parameters within which a subject and identified object are articulated. It is this public dimension of a relational pattern that confers relevance to discussions concerning the creation of identities, for these identities are the bases for defining tangible dimensions of societies such as legislation or institutions. In other words, an analysis of the creation of a determinate identity enables investigation into the both the interests of the subject that creates the identity and the relation between the subject and the identified object. Note should be taken of the intentional use of the word object, for the problematic of contact between identities is posed traditionally as a question of otherness (Todorov, 1999). The point of using these terms is to place the emphasis on the author of the discourse; that is, on the relationship with otherness, where one and the other, are in a symmetrical relationship and where different groups alternate in occupying one or other category. Nevertheless, to pose the matter in terms of subject and object reveals quite clearly where the discourse originates, where the familiar articulation comes from, be it historic or archaeological. © 2005 Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.