Theorizing Capitalism’s Cracks

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Historical Archaeology of Capitalism’s Cracks" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Perpetual economic and ecological crises, coupled with Marx’s loss of credibility have left many questioning whether any viable alternative is possible. While historical archaeology has done important work revealing capitalism’s destruction, exploitation and trauma, there is an inherent danger of perpetuating the idea of an inevitable age of destruction if we don’t also talk about alternatives. We suggest that the contradictions of capitalist motion create cracks or fissures have always allowed people to ‘do different’ and historical archaeology can play a role in making this visible. We wonder why these sites, both mundane and extraordinary, have been so easily forgotten and how our archaeological craft can help reclaim them. Instead of cynicism, despair, and destruction, we would prefer to focus our attention on people’s ‘doing different’ and the hope, mutual aid and communality visible within the cracks - evidence for the dignity that can be forgotten but not be taken away.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• Historical Archaeology of Capitalism’s Cracks

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 283