|
This site is run by Christal
|
My Research Paper on Relic Hunter Relic Hunter: An Analysis of the Popular Imagery of Archaeology
The relationship between archaeology and the general public is a difficult navigation between fact and popular culture. From Indiana Jones to National Geographic various depictions of archaeology and archaeologists exist. These representations of archaeology often paint it as adventurous, exciting and sensationalist. Subsequently, the archaeologist is viewed as also adventurous but also as exotic, accessible to the audience’s viewing pleasure. Such is the case in Relic Hunter, a television show about a young woman, Sydney Fox, who hunts for ancient relics and spectacular artifacts. In an attempt to celebrate archaeology, Sydney and her cohort are seen embarking on fantastic journeys in search for pieces of the past. However, the past is not objective, but subjective, which presents several problems for Relic Hunter. Though Relic Hunter seeks to engage the public with archaeology, its presentation of the archaeology, the past and the field itself is sensationalist. This sensationalism creates a false identity of archaeology and associates it with elements that are not present in reality. The past becomes distorted through its interpretation and presentation in Relic Hunter with an implicit political agenda that favors the western masculine position. In this paper, I will demonstrate how Relic Hunter presents a subjective image of the past and archaeology through the analysis of: Sydney Fox, the relationship Relic Hunter creates between archaeology and the public, the position of Sydney as neither archaeologist nor looter, and the negative presentation of native peoples. Though Relic Hunter presents Sydney Fox as a competent independent woman, the hidden messages that are implied in her representation of archaeology and the archaeologist are far from progressive. Sydney is construed to be breaking stereotypes regarding women and female archaeologists. However, the contradictory messages that are communicated to the audience negate her ability to challenge the male dominated field of archaeology through her body and her position in the field of archaeology. The outward appearance of Sydney Fox negotiates complex terrain between empowerment and enslavement. From her weapons expertise to her martial arts capabilities, Sydney presents the image of a tough woman not to be messed with. Her intelligence is established with her Ph.D. in history and her position as a professor at Trinity College. The vast amount of knowledge she’s acquired is evident when in the field negotiating traps or identifying obscure relics of various cultures. The relationship between Nigel and Sydney also reflect the empowerment of Sydney where she is in the dominant position of power. In "Selling Hot Pussy" by bell hooks, hooks addresses the issue of the relationship between black women and white men. Hooks writes:
While Relic Hunter challenges the master/slave paradigm it does so by reversing the roles. Sydney, the woman and also the minority, is the master while Nigel, the white male, is the slave. Constantly saving him from danger, Sydney plays the masculine role fighting the bad guys while Nigel hides in the corner. Sydney as an image of empowerment, however, becomes problematic with the body she presents. Sydney’s body is open to the male gaze through the displaying of her body. Her "fieldwork" outfit consists of a tight low cut black suit, revealing every curve of her body, hiding nothing and emphasizing her breasts. Her hair is long, shrouding, which bell hooks comments, "It [hair] evokes a wildness, a sense of the ‘natural’ world, even as it shrouds the body, repressing it, keeping it from the gaze of a culture that does not invite women to be sexual objects" (122. In Sydney’s case, her long hair comes to symbolize wildness, as opposed to innocence, in the exoticism of her body and breasts. In regards to the eroticism of the breasts, hooks finds that, "As with nineteenth century sexual iconography, specific parts of the anatomy are designated more sexual and worthy of attention than others" (122). To place this in context, it would be pertinent to point out how certain cultures in India find legs to be erotic, but not the stomach, as opposed to U.S. culture. The emphasis on Sydney’s breasts leaves her open to the male gaze and objectifies her and counteracts her empowerment. The negation of Sydney’s position of power by her body leaves her as a contradiction, just as her status within the academic field of archaeology also positions her. As professor of ancient history, Sydney relegates herself outside of the field of archaeology. This position allows the male dominated field of archaeology to remain intact. Joan Gero addresses the gender division within the field of archaeology when she writes:
While Sydney embodies most of these ideas of the archaeologist she fails to be the most vital requirement, male designation. The threat of this competent female to the male dominated field of archaeology, however, is never made since Sydney holds a Ph.D. in history, not archaeology. Relic Hunter evades this issue of a capable woman in archaeology by basing Sydney’s expertise in history, not archaeology. This separation of the field of archaeology from history leads to the construction of the field of archaeology to the public. Archaeology is fabricated, according to Relic Hunter, adventurous to the eyes of its audience. These presentations range from the archaeologist him/herself to the relics he/she uncovers. The interpretations of Sydney Fox as an adventurer, and the construction of the hunt for the relic as exciting presents archaeology as an adventurous field, when it really is not. Part of the creation of archaeology as adventurous comes from Sydney Fox, who is daring, a martial arts expert, and all knowing. Joan Gero and Dolores Root find this construction of archaeology as more adventurous than hard work in their essay, "Public presentations and private concerns: archaeology in the pages of National Geographic." Gero and Root find that in National Geographic archaeology is stereotyped as thrilling, with archaeologists hanging off cliffs or crossing swift rapids to get to the site (27). Sydney is always ready to jump into the nearest crypt, scale a steep cliff in the name of the hunt. As seen in "Eyes of Toklamanee", Sydney is not afraid of a little danger. In fact, she was willing to trespass into the condemned subway to discover a relic. The trespassing onto a restricted area construes not only Sydney as adventurous but archaeology as adventurous. Traversing forbidden ground in the hunt for the past exoticizes the field, which appeals to the audience. Her expertise in martial arts also intrigues the audience with her action scenes where she deftly avoids flying spears, swinging swords and the occasional gun-wielding villain. The danger involved in hunting relics is not the danger of digging, which Sydney does not participate in. In fact, the primary fieldwork that an archaeologist would participate in is absent in Relic Hunter, replacing the reality, is the thrill of the hunt. The hunt in Relic Hunter is emphasized, not the work that goes with archaeology. Sydney explores a cave or a crypt, she does not dig in the dirt of consider the stratigraphy or the context in which the relic is found. In the episode "Out of the Past", Sydney and Claudia find a secret building because of Claudia’s past life connection with Cleopatra. This exotic explanation of the discovery of the relic is more appealing than the reality of archaeology, which is hard work and research. The product of hard work and research in the field of archaeology is artifacts, which vary from jewelry to pottery shards. However, it is only the complete artifacts that are sought after in Relic Hunter, therefore, it only the valuable artifacts that are presented to the audience. The concentration on whole and valuable artifacts does not occur merely in Relic Hunter, but also in National Geographic. Joan Gero and Dolores Root address the presence of specific images when they analyze National Geographic:
Similarities can be drawn in the depiction of artifacts in National Geographic to Relic Hunter in that only whole artifacts are hunted and mostly valuable relics. The public is presented the exoticized version of archaeology, the adventure, sensationalist image, which is not reality. The distortion of the past reflects what is constructed to be important, the valuables, the treasures of the rich, but not the culture. Relic Hunter not only distorts the past, but also archaeology as well, creating a polarization within the field between cultural resource management and field archaeologists. Relic Hunter creates the dichotomy of "good" archaeology and "bad" archaeology through the characters and episodes. When this dichotomy is presented to the general public, the construction of good archaeology as exploration and the spirit of discovery and bad archaeology as cultural resource create a false presentation of archaeology. This is evident in the episode "Eyes of Toklamanee" where Sydney and her graduate student Adam Grant are on the hunt for the eyes of Toklamanee, the most famous of all Native American artifacts. However, Syd and Adam are not able to access the site because it is under construction. The company has hired an archaeologist to assess the site to have no artifacts in it. Betty Ramer, the archaeologist, approved the construction even though she knew that the corporation was hiding something. The "bad" archaeologist doesn’t care if there are ancient relics underground, only that she gets paid. This construction of cultural resource management (CRM) as "bad" archaeology clearly favors "good" archaeology, the archaeology the general public should side with. "Good" archaeology, however, is not the reality of archaeology. In reality it is extremely difficult to take off on a whim and go on the hunt like Sydney does. Relic Hunter does not address how Sydney can just take off, without any responsibility to her position, to go on a hunt. Instead, it concentrates on the end result, which is the fame that Sydney receives and the grant money she pulls in for the college. The polarization of the field does not allow for the reality of archaeology. On one hand, there is Sydney, adventurer and discoverer of spectacular finds. In opposition is Betty Ramer, a once renowned archaeologist, now a puppet for a big corporation. Relic Hunter does not address what real archaeologists in the field do, which is dig a site not pursue valuable relics. By focusing on only the negative aspects of CRM, Relic Hunter fails to emphasize the other side of CRM, which is the preservation of archaeological sites, which need protection from society. CRM protects archaeological sites from developers, governments and also looters, which Relic Hunter takes a vague position Relic Hunter shrouds the field of archaeology in ambiguity in regards to its relationship to looting. The show does not address whether or not relic hunting is wrong or should be considered looting. In fact, Sydney is justified in taking relics away from collectors or looters because, according to her, it belongs in a museum, as in the episode Out of the Past". This justification suggests that relics or artifacts do not belong to one person, but to everyone. Karen Warren suggests in her essay "A Philosophical Perspective on the Ethics and Resolution of Cultural Properties Issues." Warren presents several arguments that justify the collecting of artifacts for museums in nations outside the country in which the artifacts were discovered. In regards to the right of museums to take relics Warren writes:
The idea of relics belonging to a common humanity is brought up time and again when Sydney goes up against various villains trying to steal relics or collect them. Her position as the heroine of the museum world does not reflect, however, which museum she works for. Relic Hunter effaces the issue of which museum Syd works for by painting all museums as noble institutions that collect items for the good of humanity. The connection between Sydney and the museum’s good intentions places Sydney above common relic hunters. Warren also addresses the issue of who should be allowed to handle relics, "In order to preserve cultural properties, those whose primary responsibility or role is to promote and transmit cultural information and knowledge (e.g., scholars, educators, museum curators) must have scholarly access to cultural properties" (7). As museums are constructed as responsible institutions committed to the preservation of cultural products, Sydney becomes more than just a relic hunter, she is a crusader on the side of good against evil. However, Relic Hunter fails to address certain issues in excavating artifacts. First, Sydney does not take note of the stratigraphy or the context in which she discovers the relic. In most cases, impending danger does not allow her to document the site. In reality, museums will not accept artifacts that have no documented provenience, since they would technically be considered looted or stolen goods. When Sydney walks into the cave or tomb and takes the best piece her actions become that of a looter, which creates a sticky in the construction of Sydney as the heroine. Neither a looter nor an archaeologist, Syd is left in an indeterminate position between looting and archaeology. As Sydney walks to fine line between looter and archaeologist, the audience is left with a contradictory image of what the difference is between looting and archaeology. This vague position of authority without the degree allows Relic Hunter to elude the issue of Sydney discovering relics without going through legal procedures. Her contradictory position of being backed by academia as a history professor, but not being an official archaeologist gives her certain freedoms. Discovering artifacts without having to document her fieldwork is one of those privileges, since she does not publish her finds, but instead gives them to the museum. Some of her hunts also find her trespassing on private property as it happened in "Eyes of Toklamanee" where she and Adam are in an underground subway system which was restricted from the public. By not constructing Sydney as being neither looter nor archaeologist, Relic Hunter does not have to address the complicated ethics of both looting and digging. Instead, they are allowed to make broad generalizations in regards to both positions, and therefore present an obscure manifestation of archaeology. The negative construction of natives in Relic Hunter allows for Sydney to be the authority over them as opposed to the natives being the authority on their past. The natives are often misrepresented, voices taken away by the authority of the relic hunter, the past exoticized under western gaze. The problematic construction of a culture’s past is evident in the episode "Eyes of Toclemanne" a fictional Native American artifact. The fact that Relic Hunter had to create a Native American relic for Sydney to hunt instead of a real artifact would imply that there is nothing of value in non-western cultures to explore. Therefore, Relic Hunter had to create fictional artifacts for Sydney to discover. While Relic Hunter may be attempting to not offend the culture but when they value fantasy over the real it reflects how cultures are not interesting unless they are "given" fictional histories. Though Relic Hunter creates fictional histories, they do not attempt to give historical accuracy to real sites and societies. The lack of historical accuracy is demonstrated in the episode "Eyes of Toklamanee" in the construction of the past of Teotihuacan. In this episode, Relic Hunter also imposes a western definition of civilization on Native American culture. In "Eyes of Toklamanne" Relic Hunter construes Mayan civilization as the rubric for civilization in the Americas. Unfortunately, the historical accuracy of the episode is questionable. While exploring the underground caverns in the Mississippi Valley, Sydney comments how the traps in the cavern were just like the Mayan technology in Teotihuacan, which were very advanced. The problematics in this statement arise in the emphasis on Mayan civilization as "advanced" and comparing Native Americans to this "advanced" culture. The designation of Mayan culture as advanced according to western notions of civilization is eurocentric. Not only is the culture of the other devalued, but also are the natives, past or present. The issue of historical accuracy presents itself in the misinformation regarding the builders of Teotihuacan, who were not Mayan. In presenting herself as an authority of the past, Sydney is effacing the voice of native peoples, replacing it with her own. Placing herself above the natives promotes the western authority over the native perspective. Warren asserts this notion of intellectual rights over native rights,
Sydney embodies academic authority with her professorship, and the museum authority, which she hunts relics for. These investments of power in Sydney over the native erases the native voice, and instead, allows Relic Hunter to present native peoples as it sees fit. The lack of the voice of native people enables Relic Hunter to present a western view on non-western cultures, and these presentations are problematic when they become effaced with Sydney Fox as the authority of the past. The natives are subordinated underneath Sydney, placing as an authority in their culture. Objectified in the past, then portrayed as evil Relic Hunter does not give the native agency unless as an exotic object. In "Out of the Past", the natives in Egypt are portrayed as either evil, in the case of Shareef who kidnaps Claudia to get to Cleopatra’s necklace, or exotic with the flashbacks to the past with Cleopatra naked in the tub. Exoticized, the native is left only with negative stereotypes. Another such example of natives being construed as backwards is in "Don’t Go into the Woods" where Sydney and Nigel have to fend off superstitious villagers. These villagers are depicted as ignorant believers of werewolves and old tales passed down for hundreds of years. Instead of celebrating the power of oral traditions or the strength of the village to continue a myth of such a long period, the villagers are scripted as an angry ignorant mob. Too stuck in the old ways to believe in the "truth," they attempt to kill Sydney, being the keeper of the truth as she, the authority in Relic Hunter, defines it. The construction of the past, the archaeologist and the field of archaeology by Relic Hunter and its presentation to the public is problematic in the ambiguous positions it takes on these issues. The distortion of the archaeologist with its ambiguous position leaves female archaeologists out of the picture. The field of archaeology, its ethics are evaded by leaving Sydney in between looting and archaeology as is looting simplified to be merely a bad activity to engage in, the politics left unaddressed. The past is depicted by a western view that effaces the perspective of the native people and creates a negative imagery of them in both the past and present. In conclusion, though Relic Hunter attempts to bring public interest to the field of archaeology, its construction of archaeology and the surrounding issues leaves a questionable image that is presented.
Works Cited
Gero, Joan. "Socio-Politics and the Woman-At-Home Ideology." American Antiquity 50 (1985): 342-350. Gero, Joan and Dolores Root. "Public Presentations and Private Concerns: Archaeology
"Out of the Past." Relic Hunter. Dir. Pablo Barzman. United Paramont Network KCOP, Los Angeles. 2 April 2001. "Eyes of Toclmanne." Relic Hunter. Dir. John Bell. United Paramont Network KCOP, Los Angeles. 9 April 2001. "Don’t Go into the Woods." Relic Hunter. Dir. Ian Toynton. United Paramont Network. KCOP, Los Angeles. 16 April 2001. Warren, Karen. "A Philosophical Perspective on the Ethics and Resolution of Cultural Properties Issues." The Ethics of Collecting Cultural Property. Ed. Phyllis Mauch Messenger. University of New Mexico Press: 1999, 1-25. |