Conflict Archaeology, Historical Memory, and the Experience of War: Beyond the Battlefield

This volume explores the archaeology of war beyond forensic analysis, focusing on historical memory, commemoration, and social experience. It challenges dominant narratives of conflict and engages local Indigenous and descendant communities. Contributors examine various conflicts, including the Schenectady Massacre and colonial posts staffed by Black soldiers, and demonstrate how public memories of war are constructed. The collaborative practice of conflict archaeology has the potential to reveal the larger meanings, erased voices, and lingering traumas of war.

Format: Hardback
Length: 298 pages
Publication date: 10 January 2023
Publisher: University Press of Florida

This comprehensive volume delves into the realm of archaeology, offering fresh perspectives that transcend the forensic examination of battlefields and fortifications to explore the profound historical memory, commemoration, and social experiences of war. Renowned scholars present critical insights that challenge the dominant narratives surrounding the landscapes of conflict throughout the history of North American settler colonialism. By grounding their research in empirical studies of conflict zones, these essays broaden their scope to include a commitment to engaging local Indigenous and other descendant communities, illustrating how public memories of war are actively and politically constructed. Contributors examine a diverse range of conflicts, including the pivotal battles of Chikasha, King Philips War, the 1694 encounter at Guadalupe Mesa, the Rogue River War, the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862, and a significant World War II battle on the island of Saipan. Studies also delve into the site of the Schenectady Massacre of 1690 and colonial posts staffed by Black soldiers.

Chapters in this volume shed light on how prevailing narratives often downplayed the complexity of these conflicts, glossed over the contradictions and genocidal violence of colonialism, and erased the diversity of the participants. Through the collaborative practice of conflict archaeology, this volume aims to unveil the broader meanings, silenced voices, and lingering traumas of war. This volume is part of the Cultural Heritage Studies series, edited by Paul A. Shackel.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813069562