Punk as an Organizing Structure and Ethos for Emancipatory Archaeological Practice

Summary

"Think about the kind of revolution you want to live and work in. What do you need to know to start that revolution? Demand that your teachers teach you that." -Big Daddy Soul

The basic principles of punk archaeology reflect an anarchist ethos: voluntary membership in a community and participation in this community. Building things–interpretations, sites, bonfires, earth ovens, Harris Matrices–together. Foregrounding political action and integrity in our work. It is the work of the punk archaeologist to "expose, subvert, and undermine structures of domination...in a democratic fashion" (Graeber 2004:7). Public archaeology and community archaeology are embedded in this project; punk archaeology is collectivist action, with especial attention to marginalized and disenfranchised peoples. In this paper I present punk archaeology as a provocative and productive counter to fast capitalism and structural violence.

Graeber, D. (2004). Fragments of an anarchist anthropology. Chicago: Prickly Paradigm Press.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015   •
• Punk Public Archaeology

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 426