Archaeologies of Workers’ Housing

Archaeologists have frequently examined the evidence for agricultural and industrial workers, but there have been national and regional differences in focus. In some places the standing buildings and degree of settlement planning have been the primary concern, in others the artefactual assemblages associated with any structures have dominated discussion. This symposium draws out the social and symbolic significance of the workers’ housing, whether provided by employers, speculators, or constructed by the occupiers themselves. It emphasises the ways in which space was conceived, manipulated, adapted and used, and the insights that can be gained from analysis of the structures and the spatial arrangement of artefacts within and around them. The perspectives of architects, owners and occupants can all be considered within this rich and plentiful resource that has not always received the degree of attention it deserves.