Public Archaeology as a Gateway towards a Revisionist History

Summary

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

Government archeologists work in geographic areas that are associated with their agency’s mission and projects. By law, the government agency’s archeologist is required to consider all cultural entities that may be adversely affected by the project. This permits a more objective approach to the use of archeology as a tool that provides information that can correct the historical record and identify the cultural identity and contributions of ethnic groups that are often overlooked or are dismissed as being irrelevant. Such use of archaeological data can then facilitate the formulation of historical justice on behalf of the disenfranchised. Two examples of historical justice being addressed as a result of federal construction projects are the focus of this paper. The examples are the well publicized colonial era African burial ground that was excavated during earth-moving activities for a General Services Administration government building in Manhattan, and the Mexican Potters of the Rincon Townsite in Riverside County, California that was excavated for the expansion of Prado Dam on the Santa Ana River.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22798