Out of Time and Place: Graffiti and Rock Art Research
Date
2017
Authors
Frederick, Ursula
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Abstract
This chapter explores the relationship between graffiti and rock art in the context of
archaeological and heritage studies. It outlines how archaeologists, and particularly rock
art scholars, have approached graffiti and addresses the complexities of terminology and
contested values common to this field of study. The author argues against an
oversimplified polemic that has hampered the progression of graffiti/rock art research,
suggesting that much may be learned about processes of identification, evaluation, and
interpretation by considering graffiti and rock art as associated, albeit distinct, practices
of inscription. Through an investigation of two specific sites of historical inscription—
Alcatraz Island (San Francisco, US) and the North Head Quarantine Station (Sydney,
Australia)—the chapter demonstrates the powerful role that inscription practices play in
the making and unmaking of places and the meanings they carry
Description
Keywords
graffiti, rock art, inscription, mark-making, place-making, heritage, colonization, Indigenous, Australia, Alcatraz
Citation
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Source
Type
Book chapter
Book Title
The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Rock Art
Entity type
Access Statement
Open Access
License Rights
Restricted until
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