Archaeology of Contact in Settler Societies

Several decades of research into the archaeology of contact in North America have laid the foundations for the global exploration of the archaeology of European colonization. It is significant, however, that archaeologists, unlike historians and geographers, have yet to develop a global account of contact and its consequences. This edited work presents case studies from nations developed from British settlement so as to allow historical archaeologists to examine differences and similarities between the histories of modern colonial societies world-wide. Written by an international team of experts, the work shows that historical archaeologies can assume marvellously different and suggestive forms when examined from the periphery. Furthermore, the imperatives of the periphery could result in different perspectives on North American and European archaeological contexts. The work also examines the role of a global vision of the historical archaeology of colonialism in providing a new basis for the evolution of the 'nation'.

"the individual chapters have plenty to offer for archaeologists and historians alike who are interested in colonialism, whether it is European or not." - Peter van Dommelen, University of Glasgow

Professor Tim Murray is Professor of Archaeology at the School of Historical and European Studies, La Trobe University. He is the author and editor of numerous publications including The Archaeology of Aborginal Australia (1998), The Archaeology of the Urban Landscape (Cambridge, 2001) and the 5-volume Encyclopedia of Archaeology: The Great Archaeologists (1999) and History of Discoveries (2001).