The 'Past' as Transcultural Space: Using Ethnographic Installation in the Study of Archaeology

This article presents a methodology of ethnographic fieldwork that can be used in the ethnographic study of archaeology. The methodology is called ethnographic installation and was developed in the context of research on the social contexts of archaeology in Yucatán, México. The core idea is to develop an exhibition of materials relevant to a community, and design this installation as a site of ethnographic fieldwork. This article discusses the theoretical and ontological underpinnings of this methodology, such as performativity, staging, expanded documentation, transcultural dynamics, ethnographic triggers, and evocation. Ethnographic installation is explained through the example of a research project conducted in a Maya community located near Chichén Itzá. The project used archival materials pertaining to the history of archaeological research sponsored by the Carnegie Institution of Washington between 1923 and 1941. These materials were presented to the community as a way to facilitate community reappropriation of a shared history with archaeology.