Mapping Spaces of Care, Resistance, and Resiliency at Tuberculosis Sanatorium Sites

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

This paper explores how archaeological mapping of institutions intersects with experiences of sanatorium spaces described in oral histories and historical documents, and the relationship between landscape, memory, practice, and performance at former tuberculosis sanatorium sites in California. The Weimar Joint Sanatorium for tuberculosis in Placer County, California, was a county-run facility for tuberculosis patients which operated during the early and mid twentieth-century. It was located next to Colfax, a town with at least six privately operated sanatoria. Understanding how institutional spaces like tuberculosis sanatoria fit into larger social landscapes and intersected with other institutions can give important insight into the accessibility of contemporary healthcare systems. This paper questions the division between institutional and domestic spaces, and explores how spaces of care, resistance, and resiliency can be better described through archaeological research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2020 SHA General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

Keywords

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 743