Paper short abstract:

This paper intends to offer an African perspective to the exploration of interactions between social anthropology and archaeology for the understanding of past and present human societies. The authors discuss the challenges of teaching and learning interdisciplinary approaches for studying domestic spaces in contemporary Botswana

Paper long abstract:

This paper discusses the challenges and successes of teaching and learning the interdisciplinary space of social anthropology and archaeology in the context of the study of contemporary domestic architecture in Botswana. It has long been acknowledged that the separation of archaeology and anthropology is undesirable. Examples on how to practically combine the two disciplines during and after fieldwork have been rare, in particular in the realms of contemporary archaeology. As a consequence, the teaching, learning and delivery of research in this context remain a challenge.

Aspects of tradition, modernization, migration and change and their reflections on the construction and use of domestic spaces in contemporary Botswana are the topics explored in three BA dissertations at the University of Botswana. Teaching and learning how to relate to local communities, extrapolate multiple histories, create biographies of objects and spaces from a variety of sources, negotiate disciplinary terminology at an academic level has been at the core of our shared experience. Albeit the challenges are numerous, the use of interdisciplinary approaches add the essential context to discuss contested issues of African past and present.