Archaeologies of Violence and Privilege

Violence is rampant in today's society. From state-sanctioned violence and the brutality of war and genocide to interpersonal fighting and the ways in which social lives are structured and symbolized by and through violence, people enact terrible things on other human beings almost every day. In Archaeologies of Violence and Privilege, archaeologists Christopher N. Matthews and Bradley D. Phillippi bring together a collection of authors who document the ways in which past social formations rested on violent acts and reproduced violent social and cultural structures. The contributors present a series of archaeological case studies that range from the mercury mines of colonial Huancavelica (AD 1564-1824) to the polluted waterways of Indianapolis, Indiana, at the turn of the twentieth century—a problem that disproportionally impacted African American neighborhoods. The individual chapters in this volume collectively argue that positions of power and privilege are fully dependent on forms of violence for their existence and sustenance.

"A compelling contribution from historical archaeologists, this collection provides a vast array of entry points into larger societal discussions centered on the intersectionality of violence and privilege."--Daniel O. Sayers, author of A Desolate Place for a Defiant People: The Archaeology of Maroons, Indigenous Americans, and Enslaved Laborers in the Great Dismal Swamp , "A volume that pushes the boundaries of former violence studies in archaeology by insisting on the co-construction of expressive violence and structural violence--or what we might consider the routine violences of daily life."--Society for American Archaeology, "As archaeologists move toward more explicit engagement with today's issues, Archaeologies of Violence and Privilege provides us a sturdy foundation for self-critique and communal discourse."--April M. Beisaw, author of Identifying and Interpreting Animal Bones: A Manual , "Stellar contributions. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice

Christopher N. Matthews is a professor of anthropology at Montclair State University and the author of The Archaeology of American Capitalism. Bradley D. Phillippi is an assistant professor of anthropology and the director of the Center for Public Archaeology at Hofstra University.