Subverting Forced Confinement? Methodological Approaches to Re-peopling Archaeological Studies of Institutions

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological studies of institutions have had varying degrees of success in moving beyond the intentions of their builders - and their often-imposed material culture - to understand how the inhabitants lived in and experienced them. Our overarching interest in analyzing, recording and interpreting material remains can sometimes prevent us from moving beyond the ‘stuff’ to actually grapple with the experiences of institutions as concepts. I argue we should attempt to record the negotiations between structure and agency; subversion and compliance in order to figure out how they co-existed rather than focus solely on material remains. This paper will use the case-study of a largely extant Magdalene Laundry in Dublin, Ireland, to explore how we can utilize an archaeological sensibility while incorporating the testimonies of surviving inhabitants into our recording of these places. In particular, this paper will discuss both the benefits and drawbacks encountered in utilizing site-responsive oral testimonies with elderly, former inhabitants of religious-run institutions. It will conclude there is a need to consider how we include the experiences of forced inhabitants as not only providing insights into how these places actually functioned but also as a social justice imperative.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25798