Constructing ‘Hunter-Gatherers’, Constructing ‘Prehistory’: Australia and New Guinea

This paper considers the ways ‘hunter-gatherers’ have been constructed in Australian archaeology, how these have changed through time, and why a rather different approach has been taken in New Guinea archaeology. The underlying ‘traditional’ approach or paradigm in Australian archaeology is discussed, along with its critics, and the ways these tensions have played themselves out over the years, to influence the creation of ‘prehistory’.