Quebec and Canada at the Crossroads: A Nation within a Nation

Abstract. I argue first that there are many different concepts of the nation, and advocate a certain conceptual pluralism. I also argue that a population as a whole cannot constitute a nation unless it has a certain national consciousness. I then show that we must adopt a fundamental principle of tolerance. I also try to attend to the complexities of the relations between Quebec and Canada, and argue that different populations represent themselves as nations in different ways and with different concepts. 1 show that Quebec constitutes a nation within a nation. I then wonder what it would mean for Canadians to accept a Quebec nation. Finally, I try to explain why a very large proportion of the population of Quebec has increasingly been favourable to sovereignty, and favourable to making a partnership proposal to Canada.     

WAC Reflections Through Maori Eyes

For a while now issues surrounding ethics in archaeology have occupied my thoughts, as have case studies of ethical misconduct. In fact a large part of why I gravitated toward archaeology is rooted in past instances of poor ethical practice instigated against my people, and the overwhelming personal need I have, to seek redress and change for Iwi Maori. Part of my commitment to both of these endeavours, is expressed through my association with WAC, with whose present code of ethics and principles i find affinity with.     

The Two Cultures and a World Apart: Archaeology and Science at a New Crossroads

Within the past decade or so, archaeology has increasingly utilised and contributed to major advances in scientific methods when exploring the past. This progress is frequently celebrated as a quantum leap in the possibilities for understanding the archaeological record, opening up hitherto inaccessible dimensions of the past. This article represents a critique of the current consumption of science in archaeology, arguing that the discipline’s grounding in the humanities is at stake, and that the notion of ‘interdisciplinarity’ is becoming distorted with the increasing fetishisation of ‘data’, ‘facts’ and quantitative methods. It is argued that if archaeology is to break free of its self-induced inferiority to and dependence on science, it must revitalise its methodology for asking questions pertinent to the humanities.     

European Union at the Crossroads: A Framing Comment

In a framing comment embracing the preceding four papers devoted to the enlargement of the European Union in 2004, a prominent American geographer reviews some of the major problems confronting the European continent. The paper, which begins with the author's view of Europe's dilemma in late 2006, covers a number of geographic implications of the May 2004 expansion. Noted are Russia's overland access to Kaliningrad, the addition of ca. 8 million underprivileged Roma (presently the Union's largest minority population), the potentially divisive new boundary with Russia, the future candidate states emerging from the former Yugoslavia, the prospects of Ukraine's possible membership, and the challenge of Turkey's quest for admission to the EU. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F02, F20, P20. 2 figures, 34 references.     

Scholarly Publication and WAC: The Need for a Critical Response

This paper is a response to recent critiques of the World Archaeological Congress (WAC), including its Global Libraries Program. WAC should take greater leadership in addressing the current unequal state of international scholarly publication. Scholars from the global south disproportionately have more difficulty obtaining published works and fewer venues to publish their own research. This paper calls WAC to encourage and support local and non-English publications, open access works and journals, commons-based licensing, and e-repositories.     

A three-takes tale: The meaning of WAC for a pluralistic archaeology

Resumen Este articulo propone que la reciente trayectoria de la arqueología puede entenderse como una grabación en tres tomas: la primera, el proyecto científico, delata el origen moderno de la disciplina; la segunda devalúa la historia y, por tanto, la disciplina responsable de su producción; y, la tercera, completamente reaccionaria, supone un regreso a los orígenes, la realización de una producción arqueológica plural, horizontal y significativa a nivel local. Se resalta el papel del WAC en este trayectoria.

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Résumé Cette communication démontre que la récente trajectoire de l'archéologie peut être expliquée en tant qu'une triple prise. La première, le projet scientifique qui trahit les origines modernes de cette discipline; la deuxième qui dévalorise l'histoire et ainsi le mécanisme disciplinaire responsable de sa production; et la troisième, entièrement réactionnaire est un retour aux sources ainsi que la réalisation de la production archéologique en tant que plurielle, horizontale et importante du point de vue locale. Le role du WAC est souligné dans ce compte-rendu.

     

The Initial Meeting of the WAC Ethics Committee

Audie was struck by how far many had come to attend the meeting at Stanford, making the time together all the more precious. He discusses the challenges of first, determining what WAC stands for by identifying core concepts and foundational principles, many of them embedded in existing WAC documents and, second, of where the organization should draw lines when faced with the contradictions that are a part of most ethical dilemmas. A Code of Ethics would not be expected to draw these lines, but to bring these conflicts and contradictions into sharper focus and provide a dialogue and forum for their discussion. One of the many things Audie contributed to the meeting was a discussion and definition of consultation with Indigenous peoples, based on his many years of experience. Another was helping us put our ideas in a visual form that enhanced our understanding.     

Reflections on Attending the WAC Ethics Committee Workshop

This short piece recalls my expectations for the Ethics Committee Workshop, reflects on how refreshing and stimulating it was to see all my expectations tumble, and concludes with further puzzlement about how to proceed. Supplementary abstract, written by Julie Hollowell: Joan arrived at Stanford with a specific interest in developing an International Code of Ethics with guidelines that would challenge archaeologists to carry out more responsible and ethical research abroad. She found that almost all of her preconceived ideas for such a Code were altered as a result of our discussions about the limitations of drafting a document specifying what was “good” or “bad” from a generalized perspective. The focus instead lay on the PROCESS of making ethical decisions, based on WAC principles, alternative ways of constructing an ethical outcome, and learning from case studies. She emphasizes that ultimately we will certainly want to weigh our suggestions for ethical-decision-making so that certain outcomes are favored over others and notes that this is where the application of social justice as a key organizing principle comes into play.     

Tailored for Panama: Offshore Banking at the Crossroads of the Americas

With the steady integration of a deregulated world of hypermobile capital, offshore banking has become an increasingly significant part of the geography of international finance. Many interpretations tend to treat offshore banking centres as identical sites of investment that can be easily substituted for one another by completely mobile, fungible capital. This paper explores the nature of offshore banking in one largely overlooked centre, Panama. It charts the historic context that led to the creation of Latin America's most important centre of international banking, emphasizing the unique qualities that stand in contrast to hyperglobalist interpretations, including the Canal and the role of the US dollar. Second, it summarizes the regulatory changes initiated in the face of global neoliberalism, including the absence of a central bank and recent reforms designed to attract foreign capital. Using primary and secondary data, the paper maps Panama's growing role as a net capital exporter, charting domestic and foreign loan markets. Finally, it also addresses the trade–offs between confidentiality, and transparency in the context of illicit activities frequently alleged to occur in offshore banking centres, which in Panama revolve around drug trafficking and money laundering. It concludes by noting that even in an ostensibly seamless world, offshore banking exhibits the place–based embeddedness of financial capital within local institutional relations.     

Liberating archaeology, liberation archaeologies, and WAC

WAC ha desafiado la noción constante que la arqueología es objetiva y apolítica. Esta noción ha alienado a los indígenas porque tiende a deshumanizar tanto a ellos como a sus antecesores. WAC reconoció que la arqueología existe en un contexto político, que debe ser considerado en cualquier construcción y uso del pasado. WAC estructuró una organización que dió una voz a aquellos cuyo pasado había sido excavado, interpretado, y adue?uado por otros. WAC también defendió la colaboración directa entre los indígenas y otros desciendientes de las comunidades. En esencia, WAC apoyó la liberación de la arqueología practicada como un colonialismo científico, una historia que este artículo relata brevemente. Todavia hay trabajo que hacer. Los arqueólogos necesitan producir epistemologías de colaboración y lo que significan para nuestro conocimiento de los pasados, que han sido creados en este proceso. Una tarea más difícil es estar seguros que los arqueólogos y las comunidades con las cuales ellos trabajan entiendan cuan importante la arqueología puede ser para construir una comunidad y mantener su identidad cultural.

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Résumé Plus que tout, le CMA a défié l'insistance de l'archéologie processualiste qui affirmait que l'archéologie était objective et apolitique, excluant ainsi les autochtones car cette attitude les déshumanisaient ainsi que leurs ancêtres. Le CMA a amené en avant une reconnaissance que l'archéologie existe dans un contexte politique qui doit être considéré dans toute construction et utilisation du passé. Le CMA a structuré une organisation qui donne la parole à ceux dont le passé a été largement déterré, interprété et possédé par d'autres. Le CMA préconise aussi la collaboration directe avec les autochtones et les autres communautés de descendants. Dans son essence, le CMA a cherché à libérer l'archéologie de sa pratique scientifique colonisaliste, une histoire que cet article rappelle brièvement. Beaucoup de travail doit encore être accomplie. Les archéologues doivent minutieusement travailler sur l'épistémologie de la collaboration et sur ce qu'ils entendent par notre compréhension du passé qui est con?ue durant le procédé. Une tache plus difficile est de s'assurer que les archéologues et les communautés avec qui ils travaillent, comprennent à quel point l'archéologie est important dans la construction de la communauté et le maintien de l'identité culturelle.