Fate of Our Fathers: An Assessment of Mental Health Among African American Archaeologists

Summary

This is an abstract from the "POSTER Session 1: A Focus on Cultures, Populations, and Ethnic Groups" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Logic holds that the person best suited for farming is a farmer, and the person best suited for sailing a sailor. In much the same way, the people best suited for different types of archaeological work are those who have a connection to the topic they choose to study. It is also logical that, like the physical injuries sustained from the rigorous work done by farmers and sailors, archaeologists working on difficult topics can sustain mental traumas that can just as effectively end their careers. African American archaeologists studying slavery are frequently exposed to material that can cause severe mental health issues due to the combination of brutality, frequency, and personal relevance. This poster will argue the need for mental health counseling among African American archaeologists in order to help them maintain a healthy living standard and high level of performance while interacting with this difficult but necessary material.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• POSTER Session 1: A Focus on Cultures, Populations, and Ethnic Groups   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 335