Archaeological culture and identity in the Western Balkans

From the beginning of the 20th century, archaeology has been founded upon the concept of archaeological culture, as the basic unit in determining chronological, spatial, cultural and ethnic entities in the past. In the second half of the 20th century, this concept has been critically re-evaluated from various theoretical viewpoints (processual, postprocessual paradigm). The proposed project will investigate the formation, development and application of the concept of cultural group (characteristic of culture-historical paradigm) in the archaeology in Serbia and the region of the western Balkans. The history of the discipline in the region will be scrutinized, as well as the ways in which it has corresponded with the European and world trends in the interpretation of the past. The focus of research will be laid upon the notion of cultural group as a separate entity, independent from archaeological interpretation. The relation between archaeology and society, and the role of archaeology in the formation of the social knowledges of the past is therefore one of the basic aims of the project. Academically created and verified narratives of the past decisively influence the general notions, taking part in the formation of collective and ethnic identities. The proposed research team includes the specialists in various chronological segments (from praehistory to post-mediaeval period), and enables the comprehensive analysis of theory and practice of archaeology in the region.