Archaeology of Plastics: On Overcoming, Oceans, and Environmentalism

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Citizen Science in Maritime Archaeology: The Power of Public Engagement for Heritage Monitoring and Protection" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In October 2019, eXXpedition launched a round-the-world sailing voyage that emphasized “citizen science” in understanding single-use plastic in our oceans and the impacts of those toxins on women’s health. The mission of the ongoing two-year trip—which features 30 voyages, 300 women, and over 38,000 nautical miles—is to focus on “unseen” women in the arts and sciences. The aim is to create “ambassadors” who will bring their experiences back into their communities, locally and globally. This presentation focuses on the first leg of the journey, from Plymouth, England, to Sao Miguel in the Portuguese Azores. Invited to join the crew as an historical archaeologist, Ms. Wooten’s talk focuses on overcoming one’s fears to pursue new directions in the field, activism in archaeology, and the applicability of archaeological methodologies in understanding the material culture of modern plastics.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• Citizen Science in Maritime Archaeology: The Power of Public Engagement for Heritage Monitoring and Protection

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 381