Defining a Global Historical Archaeology
Every historical archaeologist has at some point defined the discipline to the visitors at an archaeological site, a roomful of students, or a colleague or community member. Most of us…
President’s Corner
Posts from our SHA President.
Historical Archaeology in Central Europe
Western Bohemia has a rich archaeological heritage and a scholarship reaching back well over a century, but virtually none of that archaeology has examined the post-medieval period. In the wake…
Mothballing Heritage: Closing the Georgia State Archives
Historical archaeologists have long recognized that some of the most compelling biographical and historical tales can be told about prosaic folks, and we understand that many of those people who…
Diversity and Anti-Racism in the Society for Historical Archaeology
The epilogue of Leland Ferguson’s Uncommon Ground: Archaeology and Early African America, 1650-1800 is a disarming and profoundly thoughtful account of his experience of life across the color line and…
Wikifying Historical Archaeology
In February historian William Cronon admitted his deeply rooted skepticism about Wikipedia as a scholarly resource. Cronon, the President of the American Historical Association, acknowledged he had originally had misgivings…
Parks Canada Cuts
Many SHA members realize that Parks Canada has recently been subjected to absolutely draconian cuts that risk crippling one of the world’s most influential stewards for cultural and natural heritage…
Nordic TAG 2012: Archaeologies in Northern Europe
I recently returned from a week in Oulu, Finland, where I attended the Nordic Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference. A UK version of TAG originated in 1979 and has met…
The Ethics of Historical Archaeology
Virtually all historical archaeologists are fascinated by seemingly prosaic things like ceramics, bones, and buttons because we know that such objects provide historical stories that might otherwise pass completely unnoticed.…
Contemporary Archaeologies
A week ago Quentin Lewis’ blog post on the November 2011 “Contemporary and Historical Archaeology in Theory” conference (CHAT) in Boston asked the question “What is contemporary archaeology?” Quentin reaches the conclusion…
President’s Corner: Globalizing Historical Archaeology
Since the SHA was formed in 1967 scholars have acknowledged the complex global relationships between local sites and broader international social, material, and political currents. The truism to “think globally,…