How 2020 Changed the Nathan Harrison Historical Archaeology Project

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Gender in Historical Archaeology (General Sessions)" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Even at its inception twenty years ago, the Nathan Harrison Historical Archaeology Project was focused on 2020, as this date marked the 100-year anniversary of Harrison’s passing. Archaeological insights into San Diego County’s most prominent African-American pioneer grew with each year of research, and we scheduled a centennial celebration around the release of a comprehensive monograph, participation in extensive professional and public programming, and the opening of a museum exhibit. Due to the pandemic, much of the project was put on hold for a year. At the same time, the murder of George Floyd and the social unrest that followed regarding pervasive and devastating racial inequities tied directly to central long-standing themes of the Harrison Project. This paper discusses how 2020 altered the Harrison Project and why the project’s core historical findings of strategic dual identities in a time of lethal racial turmoil are even more relevant in 2st-century society.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Gender in Historical Archaeology (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology