Discourse and Narrative Production at Historic Sites: The Role of Documentary Archaeology in Addressing Structural and Symbolic Violence

Summary

Expanding on conversations occurring in 19th century African American print culture studies, this paper explores the relationship of documentary archaeology to African American print materiality, black nationalism, and collective memory. Conceptualizing print material as mnemonic devices, the paper explores how print culture creates an imagined collectivity through the broad circulation of representational media. Specifically, this paper examines how these mnemonic devices, in relationship to place and practice, shape particular subjectivities through the transmission of collective memory both in the past and the present. Such an approach allows for a nuanced understanding of how the archive shapes and limits the formation and promotion of certain historical narratives and subjectivities at historic sites. This paper summarizes recent efforts towards increasing public awareness of the Dr. James Still Historic Office and Homestead in Medford, NJ, demonstrating how documentary archaeology can play a fundamental role in challenging structural and symbolic violence at multi-scalar level.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies Of Violence And Privilege   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 331