The production of ethnographic records and their use in rock art research
Abstract
This chapter explores the characteristics, limits, and diversity of ethnographic records produced and/or used in rock art research. By critically examining the ethnographic archives on rock art available in the global literature, the chapter addresses the conditions and processes involved in the making of these records. The authors argue that analyzing the particular social circumstances of their production is not only a prerequisite for any methodological discussion on how to use ethnographic records in interpreting rock art, but also a way to promote self-reflection about the way that we perceive, experience, interact with, and create knowledge about rock art.