Out of Sight, Out of Mind. Contemporary Archaeology of Illegal Forest Dumping in Quebec (Canada)

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

From the end of the 19th century and under the influence of the hygienist movement, the relationship of individuals to what is considered to be waste has changed drastically. Privy and other open-air structures are banned by public health, leading to the development of new waste management techniques. In addition to creating more waste, the development of revolutionary new products in the first decades of the 20th century also contributed to exacerbating the feeling of disgust towards waste and the need to create precise zones to contain it. These circumstances lead to a diversification of individual waste management options, such as river and forest dumping, alongside local or municipal initiatives. This article will focus on contemporary artifacts found in the forest of Parc national d'Opémican (Quebec, Canada), which bear witness to the evolution of the occupation and use of this rural area during the 20th century.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2023 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow