American Disruptive Archaeologies: The Theory and Practice of Punk

Summary

In my presentation, I will look at the five most common tenets of Punk Archaeology as an approach to Public Archaeology, citing contemporary examples of each within an American context:

• Apply a do-it-yourself (DIY) aesthetic to archaeology projects, especially when funding, personnel, and other kinds of support are lacking.

• Study marginalized archaeologies, and conduct the archaeology of cultures and places eschewed by the Academy.

• Study the history and archaeology of Punk and Punk places.

• Engage in actively communicating to and involving the public in all aspects/phases of archaeology.

• Promote a spirit of cooperation and sharing of tools, data, and other resources with all other archaeologists, Punk or not.

I would argue that Punk Archaeology has already progressed well beyond theory and is in active practice in the U.S., even though some of its most ardent practitioners might remain ignorant of this neologism.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015   •
• Punk Public Archaeology

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 596