Constructing the Borderzone: The Role of Positional Warfare and Natural Border Ideology on a 17th Century French Colonial Landscape

Summary

The majority of archaeological interpretations of French involvement in North America have not accounted for underlying European social constructs and ideologies. As archaeological investigations of the French In North America move away from recognized strongholds and expands through the greater French Atlantic World, a critical examination of the archaeological record through these constructs is vital. This paper examines one episode of 17th century expansionism along the Lake Champlain Richelieu River borderzone a landscape contested between  French, Dutch, English, Abenaki and Mohawk peoples. Utilizing a triparite method of spatial analysis, I examine the five forts built by the famed Carignan-Salières regiment, relative to the French ideologies of postional warfare and natural borders. These new social construct informed spatial interpretations allow archaeologists to challenge interpretations long held by historians and archaeologists working  within the region. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Archaeology of the French in the New World   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 623