I, Too, Am America

The moral mission archaeology set in motion by black activists in the 1960s and 1970s sought to tell the story of Americans, particularly African Americans, forgotten by the written record. Today, the archaeological study of African-American life is no longer simply an effort to capture unrecorded aspects of black history or to exhume the heritage of a neglected community. Archaeologists now recognize that one cannot fully comprehend the European colonial experience in the Americas without understanding its African counterpart.

This collection of essays reflects and extends the broad spectrum of scholarship arising from this expanded definition of African-American archaeology, treating such issues as the analysis and representation of cultural identity, race, gender, and class; cultural interaction and change; relations of power and domination; and the sociopolitics of archaeological practice. "I, Too, Am America" expands African-American archaeology into an inclusive historical vision and identifies promising areas for future study.

University of Virginia Press

The moral mission archaeology set in motion by black activists in the 1960s and 1970s sought to tell the story of Americans, particularly African Americans, forgotten by the written record. Today, the archaeological study of African-American life is no longer simply an effort to capture unrecorded aspects of black history or to exhume the heritage of a neglected community. Archaeologists now recognize that one cannot fully comprehend the European colonial experience in the Americas without understanding its African counterpart.

This collection of essays reflects and extends the broad spectrum of scholarship arising from this expanded definition of African-American archaeology, treating such issues as the analysis and representation of cultural identity, race, gender, and class; cultural interaction and change; relations of power and domination; and the sociopolitics of archaeological practice. "I, Too, Am America" expands African-American archaeology into an inclusive historical vision and identifies promising areas for future study.

Booknews

A collection of essays celebrating and reflecting the spectrum of scholarship arising from an expanded definition of African-American archaeology, treating such issues as the analysis and presentation of cultural identity, race, and gender, cultural interaction and change, relations of power and domination, and the sociopolitics of archaeological practice. Essays are in sections on African-American identity and material culture, plantation contexts, and beyond the plantation. Includes b&w photos of artifacts and historical sites, plus b&w maps. The editor is affiliated with the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and the anthropology department at Syracuse University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Theresa A. Singleton is Curator in Historical Archaeology at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Syracuse University. She is the editor of The Archaeology of Slavery and Plantation Life, and has written numerous articles on African American archaeology.