Laboring under an illusion: steps to align method with theory in the archaeology of race

Summary

Powerful forces turn our attention to the problem of identity. A rich body of thought’ developed by archaeologists and others’ points the way toward dynamic understandings of who humans are, yet archaeology struggles to be more than a handmaiden. Arguably, the problem is one of method rather than theory: what counts as data; how we categorize things; what our problems are. This paper examines labor relations in the early Virginia colony via locally-made clay tobacco pipes. These artifacts, often treated as emblems of identity, are here used to understand a society in the process of creating the categories we take for granted.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Labor and Plurality: Excavating the Political Economy of Identity   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-58,09