Comparison of Ceramic Objects Excavated from Two Chinese Diaspora Occupations in Queensland, Australia.

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Cairns Rusty’s Market, located in Far North Queensland, Australia, was a home to Chinese immigrants from 1880s to 1930s. Gordan Grimwade & Associates excavated 1280 ceramic sherds (MVC = 418) from Cairns Rusty’s Market in 2001. Many Chinese migrants moved to city centers seeking further opportunities after the gold exhaustion. Niche Environment and Heritage excavated Nine Holes, a Chinese occupation between 1880s and 1920s on Albert Street, Brisbane City, Queensland in 2020. A total of 2115 ceramic sherds (MVC =304) were analyzed. This paper discusses the differences in the use of ceramic objects in rural and urban Queensland, illustrating how globalization and colonization affected the consumers’ choices and how the Chinese used tangible materials to express their identities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow