Without regard for persons: The archaeology of american capitalism

Summary

In The Archaoelogy of American Capitalism, I examine a diverse range of studies to make the case that the historical archaeology in the United States is well served by a direct analysis of capitalism as a principle context for production, consumption, and cultural experience in America. Whether looking at the fur trade, the Georgian order, the creation of modern cities and industries or the practices of history-making and archaeology itself, I show how the lust for profit and bourgeois distinction formed and undermined American communities. I also consider several alternative communities that failed because they could not escape the pulls of individualism and property possession. In this paper, I thus re-iterate why I feel that captialism is and has been everywhere and needs to be our focus by explaining and elaborating on how historical archaeology can support a transformative anti-captialist standpoint.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The American Experience in Archaeological Perspective   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 135