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A review by kevin_shepherd
Archaeologies of Violence and Privilege by
4.0
Violence: the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation -World Health Organization
“Because the center of archaeological work lies in physical objects and experiences, it has the potential to evaluate forms of violence and nonviolence by using methodologies particular to systematic and holistic assessment of material remains…”
Traditional archaeology is framed by the goals of recovery and recognition. As such, it is a discipline uniquely suited to bringing attention to malevolent episodes and events. The eight essays of this collection are all written with the subtext that archaeologists have a responsibility to shed light on violent histories with a truthful and professional accounting.
With subject matter as diverse as indigenous population declines and Spanish Colonialism, the two studies I found most interesting were the Lattirmer Coal Miner Massacre (Pennsylvania, 1897), and the Gila River War Relocation Center for Japanese-Americans (Arizona, 1942 - 1945).
The case studies presented here each show that violence was enacted because it bestowed a definite advantage on a particular sect or segment of a population. And in almost every instance, systems of violence were able to take root due to the indifference and inaction of population majorities.
Whether it is the murder of nineteen unarmed striking minors or the immoral imprisonment of 120,000 American citizens, archaeology has the power and the ability and the responsibility to shed light on such events and initiate desperately needed conversations about what really happened and how said events impact our society.
Most of these essays are squarely aimed at an audience of academics. Wordings are heavily pedagogical and complex concepts are seldom expounded on or explained. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these chapters were initially dissertations by the respective authors and, as such, I would not necessarily recommend this one to anyone not already versed in anthropology or sociology.
“Because the center of archaeological work lies in physical objects and experiences, it has the potential to evaluate forms of violence and nonviolence by using methodologies particular to systematic and holistic assessment of material remains…”
Traditional archaeology is framed by the goals of recovery and recognition. As such, it is a discipline uniquely suited to bringing attention to malevolent episodes and events. The eight essays of this collection are all written with the subtext that archaeologists have a responsibility to shed light on violent histories with a truthful and professional accounting.
With subject matter as diverse as indigenous population declines and Spanish Colonialism, the two studies I found most interesting were the Lattirmer Coal Miner Massacre (Pennsylvania, 1897), and the Gila River War Relocation Center for Japanese-Americans (Arizona, 1942 - 1945).
The case studies presented here each show that violence was enacted because it bestowed a definite advantage on a particular sect or segment of a population. And in almost every instance, systems of violence were able to take root due to the indifference and inaction of population majorities.
Whether it is the murder of nineteen unarmed striking minors or the immoral imprisonment of 120,000 American citizens, archaeology has the power and the ability and the responsibility to shed light on such events and initiate desperately needed conversations about what really happened and how said events impact our society.
Most of these essays are squarely aimed at an audience of academics. Wordings are heavily pedagogical and complex concepts are seldom expounded on or explained. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these chapters were initially dissertations by the respective authors and, as such, I would not necessarily recommend this one to anyone not already versed in anthropology or sociology.