Beyond the Walls

Thought-provoking and engaging, Beyond the Walls provides new and relevant theoretical perspectives and specific case studies for archaeologists conducting research related to household archaeology. Essential for both students and professionals.”—Mark D. Groover, author of The Archaeology of North American FarmsteadsFrom ranching stations in Hawai'i to slave quarters in South Carolina, the essays in Beyond the Walls crosscut time and space to consider the interrelationships between households and the wider regional and global networks in which their residents were enmeshed, presenting new insights relating to identity, consumerism, and modernity.”—Barbara J. Heath, coeditor of Jefferson's Poplar Forest: Unearthing a Virginia PlantationWhile household archaeologists view the home as a social unit, few move their investigations “beyond the walls” when contextualizing a household in its community. Even exterior aspects of a dwelling—its plant life, yard spaces, and trash heaps—uncover issues of domination and resistance, gender relations, and the effects of colonialism. This innovative volume examines historical homes and their wider landscapes to more fully address social issues of the past.The contributors, leading archaeologists using various interpretive frameworks, analyze households across time periods and diverse cultures in North America. Including case studies of James Madison's Montpelier, George Washington's Ferry Farm, Chinese immigrants in a Nevada mining town and Southern plantations, Beyond the Walls offers a new avenue for archaeological study of domestic sites.

"Archaeological studies of the household have proven to be a fruitful inquiry into this basic social unit. This volume expands this inquiry. . . . A useful volume presenting new and original essays."--Historical Archaeology "Emphasize[s] the ways that intensive study of places where people lived, the activities they engaged in, and the material culture they used and discarded, sheds light on social relations, economic differences, and other social and historical processes. . . . An effective argument for the continued study of households by archaeologists."--Choice

Kevin R. Fogle is an instructor in the department of anthropology at the University of South Carolina.James A. Nyman is an instructor in the department of anthropology at the University of North Carolina.Mary C. Beaudry, professor of archaeology, anthropology, and gastronomy at Boston University, is the author of Findings: The Material Culture of Needlework and Sewing.