New Directions in Historical Archaeology: Theory, Method, and Practice

DOCUMENT Citation Only Albert Gonzalez.

North-American ethnic archaeologies abound. The last several decades have seen the emergence of African-American and Asian-American archaeologies alongside the initiation of efforts to decolonize the archaeology of Native America. Considering the proliferation of ethnic and revisionist archaeologies, the current absence of any archaeology of Latinos in the historical and contemporary United States is a striking thing. Why has no such field yet been developed? How might such a field come to be...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Jesse Pagels.

This paper examines the possibility of using the narrative form to expand the ways by which the archaeological record can be interpreted. Narrative archaeology has become a prominent mode of academic communication within the discipline. The acceptance of this stylistic format creates a space where narrations alienating effect can be used as a tool so to better understand the alienation colonial encounters produce in the past. This is not to say that all standard manner of archaeological...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Georgia Fox.

Plantation archaeology in the Caribbean region has been grappling with the complexities of plantation life through studying asymmetrical power relationships, spatial organization, and other important avenues of research. As there is no one "size fits all," this provides an opportunity to explore new approaches and methodologies in plantation research. For my presentation, I propose that Betty’s Hope—a 300-year-old sugar estate located on the island of Antigua—serves as a laboratory to test new...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Erin Riggs. Andrew Reagan. Matt Riggs.

Through the growth and development of satellite imagery and panoramic street photography championed by Google Earth, a mass archive of accessible imagery has been created documenting intimate material worlds frozen in space and time. Utilizing these newly available forms of public data, our team (built of one historical archaeologist, one GIS technician, and one statistician) conducted a virtual pedestrian survey of 1000 randomly selected home fronts in Oakland, California, implementing a...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Christopher Lowman.

Close examination of Ainu objects in American museums reveals patterns of use-wear, re-use, and intentional marking. These marks draw attention to the life of the object, an avenue of research when depositional data or documents are absent. In colonial contexts, modification as a form of individual or cultural ownership can be used to oppose assumptions of assimilation by revealing ways materials were appropriated or were part of cultural hybridization. Ainu artifacts drawn from multiple...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Erin Rodriguez.

Microscale geoarchaeology, specifically soil micromorphology, has incredible potential for enriching archaeological understandings of the materiality of past experience through detailed information on the events, actions, and processes which create archaeological sites. Soil micromorphological analysis can parallel the strict time scales available through historic documentation with material evidence of specific human, non-human, and natural events. This paper shows how micromorphological...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Alexandra McCleary.

An increasing number of archaeologists are arguing against the separation of ritual and religion as separate fields of study, favoring pragmatic combinations of theoretical criteria to advance more holistic understandings of the theory and practice of religion. Advancements in the archaeological study of religion have been spearheaded by archaeologists of ancient and pre-historic societies. In this paper, I will outline the potential contributions of historical archaeology to anthropological...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Leah Grant.

This paper explores the ways that Queer Theory can be used in the archaeological study of foodways using materials from Fort Davis, Texas. At this nineteenth century military outpost, a racially, ethnically and economically diverse community sidestepped normative notions of foodstuffs. By engaging a queer framework, this research investigates how consumption practices on the American frontier were less regulated and more fluid than previously interpreted. Fort Davis’ foodways - including...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Katrina Eichner.

This paper investigates how racial identity impacted the creation and maintenance of an American frontier and border community using an assemblage from a 19th century American Army encampment from Fort Davis, Texas as a case study. By engaging a queer theoretical framework, this research focuses on how Black, Mexican, and immigrant bodies challenged ideals of normative White citizenship during a period of great social upheaval and racial tension. With thousands of European immigrants and newly...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Naphtalie Jeanty.

The historic archaeology of US cavalry forts in the 19th century allows for exploration of a wide range of social issues and historical questions. Using examples from Fort Davis, Texas, this study analyzes Buffalo Soldier troops stationed there from 1867-1891. It presents results of an investigation of male identified homosociality within black communities by tracing male relationships within 19th century gendered labor spaces. A queer perspective allows this research to focus on the bonds and...