Archaeology with an Attentive Eye: African Americans, Archaeology, and Cultural Regeneration

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "“Folkeliv” and Black Folks’ Lives: Archaeology, History, and Contemporary Black Atlantic Communities", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Archaeology in the United States is slowly undergoing a paradigmatic shift. While it is difficult to discern which direction the profession will take, ethical, demographic, and economic forces are moving archaeology into a space it has not previously occupied. Decades of activism from BIPOC communities, accelerated by the #blacklivesmatter movement, is pushing archaeologists towards accountability for their (in)actions. Communities of color are watching what archaeologists do and do not do. Increasingly, archaeologists are aware that their work among African American communities is not only for research purposes but has great value to disenfranchised people seeking justice. This presentation uses an unfolding community-based archaeological project on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) as a case study in how archaeology can make research contributions while aiding local cultural regeneration activities. It also discusses how this work has been viewed by other archaeologists.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• “Folkeliv” and Black Folks’ Lives: Archaeology, History, and Contemporary Black Atlantic Communities   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow