Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies

Archaeology of the African diaspora examines the material traces left by enslaved and free Black communities in the Americas, drawing on Black feminist theory to reframe whose experiences get centered in the historical record. Researchers analyze everything from plantation landscapes and household objects to burial sites and foodways, treating these as evidence of resistance, agency, and cultural continuity rather than simply the residue of colonial domination. A persistent open question concerns how race and gender together shaped both the lives being studied and the discipline studying them — including who publishes, whose interpretations gain authority, and which sites get excavated at all. Current work is actively reckoning with how to build interpretive frameworks that are answerable to descendant communities while also intervening in broader conversations about social inequality and historical memory.

Works

218,439

Total citations

214,404

Keywords

Black Feminist TheoryAfrican DiasporaArchaeology of ResistanceSocial InequalityCultural IdentityHistorical Landscapes