09/04/2025
The Archaeology of American Protests
April M. Beisaw and Dania Jordan-Talley
Exploring the history of American protest movements through an archaeological perspective, connecting protests of the past with resistance today "A timely addition that takes a unique approach to applying archaeology to the American history of protests and their impacts on contemporary society. Drawing on theoretical concepts like social memory, colonialism, and decolonizing theory and methodology, the authors successfully argue that archaeology can contribute to the understanding of how protest and activism have shaped American history and
contemporary life:'-Karin Larkin, coeditor of Communities of Ludlow: Collaborative Stewardship and the Ludlow Centennial Commemoration Commission "The Archaeology of American Protests is a powerful revelation. This book first
provides a history of ways major modern social justice movements have influenced archaeological community collaboration, which led to in-depth insights from a long-
term archaeological perspective about the complexity, persistence and material symbolism of successful historical social-justice protest movements, revealing the
falseness of simplistic national-memory narratives constructed by the powerful about the supposed effectiveness of short-term protests:'-Suzanne M. Spencer-Wood, editor of Historical and Archaeological Perspectives on Gender Transformations:
From Private to Public
In this book, April Beisaw and Dania Jordan-Talley use historical and contemporary archaeology to explore the past 400 years of American protest history. The Archaeology of American Protests reveals how ideals such as equality, prosperity, and self-determination have been challenged and negotiated through protests, connecting today's protest movements to those that came long before.
280 pp. I 6x9
Hardcover $90.00
ISBN 9780813079448
$45 with code 31BEISAW25
Order at upress.ufl.edu
Beisaw and Jordan-Talley examine materials excavated from the sites of protests as well as photographs, graffiti, banners, barriers, and weaponry used to suppress protesters. The book features case studies of movements for Indigenous rights, women's rights, environmental activism, and other causes. The authors trace connections between historical protests such as Bacon's Rebellion of 1676, the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, and the Boston Tea Party of 1773 to recent protests including Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, and the Standing Rock Dakota Access Pipeline resistance. Through the perspectives of activist archaeology, community-based archaeology, and social justice, this book shows how protests are integral to the American experience. It demonstrates how communal and public actions aimed at changing the status quo occur in moments of opportunity, while decades later these protests can take on new meanings and be seen in retrospect as moments of pride.
Documenting protest sites and material culture can preserve the heritage of social activism, set realistic expectations for social change, and inspire actions for better futures.
April M. Beisaw, professor of anthropology at Vassar College, is the author of Taking Our Water for the City: The Archaeology of New York City's Watershed Communities. Dania Jordan-Talley is associate curator of history at the Oakland Museum of California.
A volume in the series the American Experience in Archaeological Perspective, edited by Michael S. Nassaney and Krysta Ryzewski
