Conflict Archaeology, Historical Memory, and the Experience of War

Counteringdominant narratives of conflict through attention to memory and trauma

Thisvolume presents approaches to the archaeology of war that move beyond the forensicanalysis of battlefields, fortifications, and other sites of conflict toconsider the historical memory, commemoration, and social experience of war.Leading scholars offer critical insights that challenge the dominant narrativesabout landscapes of war from throughout the history of North American settlercolonialism.

Groundedin the empirical study of fields of conflict, these essays extend their scopeto include a commitment to engaging local Indigenous and other descendantcommunities and to illustrating how public memories of war are actively andpolitically constructed. Contributors examine conflicts including the battle ofChikasha, King Philip’s War, the 1694 battle at Guadalupe Mesa, the Rogue RiverWar, the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862, and a World War II battle on the island ofSaipan. Studies also investigate the site of the Schenectady Massacre of 1690and colonial posts staffed by Black soldiers.

Chaptersdiscuss how prevailing narratives often minimized the complexity of theseconflicts, smoothed over the contradictions and genocidal violence ofcolonialism, and erased the diversity of the participants. This volumedemonstrates that the collaborative practice of conflict archaeology has thepotential to reveal the larger meanings, erased voices, and lingering traumasof war.

Avolume in the series Cultural Heritage Studies, edited by Paul A. Shackel