The Most Wretched of Beings in the Cage of Capitalism

We can no longer afford to ignore the horrendous misery and abuse that humans have inflicted on beings from other species throughout all modern history. We also cannot continue to ignore how those oppressive actions and processes dialectically reverberate across most social dimensions of our modern world. This essay is an effort to promote a heretofore seldom-considered social justice cause in historical archaeology: animal emancipation. I advocate an approach that challenges alienated anthropocentric views, ideologies, and practices in historical archaeology and the wider social and political-economic world. I also offer some ideas on how an archaeology of animal emancipation might appear and some suggestions on preliminary steps we can take to see such an archaeology emerge alongside and in conjuncton with other engaged archaeologies.     

Sails in the North: Further Linguistic Considerations

The Indo-European root * seĝh -, encompassing notions of 'holding, seizing', possibly 'harnessing power', and its derivative * seĝhlos are proposed as etyma for a northern Gaulish word for 'sail' that then spread, with the attendant technology, to adjacent Celtic and Germanic dialects.     

The Southwest Michigan Historic Landscape Project: Exploring Class, Gender, and Ethnicity from the Ground Up

The Southwest Michigan Historic Landscape Project was initiated in 1994 to examine how the cultural landscapes and associated material culture of the region became transformed since the pioneer settlement of the early 19th century (ca. 1830s). Thus far we have used various methods to investigate four sites in Allegan, Calhoun, and Jackson counties at varying levels of intensity. From these initial efforts we have begun to compile comparative information on the built environment. Here we present the theory and methods used in the project and discuss how class, gender, and ethnic identities are expressed in the material record of the region.     

The Political Economy of Exile in the Great Dismal Swamp

The Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina and Virginia has a history of profound significance to scholars and historians of North American diasporas. Between 1630 and 1865, thousands of maroons, enslaved canal company laborers, and disenfranchised Native Americans lived within this morass and formed communities that were connected through a dynamic swamp-wide political economy. The Great Dismal Swamp Landscape Study has been initiated to explore the archaeological landscapes of these Diasporans. This essay discusses several aspects of the theoretico-analytical research model that has guided this ongoing project. Also, included are brief explications on the methods and results of the first season of archaeological survey in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.     

The Dynamics of Governmental Activity: A Long-run Analysis of the Changing Scope and Profile of Australian Ministerial Portfolios

This paper provides a long-run analysis of the scope and profile of government in Australia using the indicator of ministerial portfolios. By scope we refer to the range and intensity of government activity. By profile we refer to the balance of three categories of activity (defining, physical resource mobilisation and social). Although there has been growth in the scope of government in the twentieth century, the rates of change have varied over time, by level of government and by category of activity. Whilst the intensity of government has decreased recently, its range has not. Government has not evacuated areas it once occupied. Because the three categories of activity have grown at different rates, the overall profile of government has changed. We explain the extent to which the increase in government scope has been a function of the undertaking of new responsibilities as opposed to an intensification of existing ones.     

Encouraging play in the natural environment: a child-focused case study of Forest School

There is concern that children are becoming disengaged from the natural environment and are not being afforded the opportunities to play in such environments. To examine children's perceptions, knowledge and experiences of play in the natural environment, 17 children from one school participated in small focus groups before and after a 12-week Forest School that took place within a school woodland area. Using two qualitative approaches, we found that Forest School had a positive influence on children's natural play and their knowledge of the natural world around them.