The Archaeology of American Protests

April M. Beisaw, Dania Jordan-Talley

$208

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

University Press of Florida
28 October 2025

Archaeology; Pressure groups & lobbying

Series: The American Experience in Archaeological Perspective

Exploring the history of American protest movements through an archaeological perspective, connecting protests of the past with resistance today

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.

Beisaw and Jordan-Talley examine materials excavated from the sites of protests as well as photographs, graffiti, banners, barriers, and weaponry used to suppress protestors. 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.

A volume in the series the American Experience in Archaeological Perspective, edited by Michael S. Nassaney and Krysta Ryzewski

By: April M. Beisaw, Dania Jordan-Talley
Imprint: University Press of Florida
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9780813079448
ISBN 10: 0813079446
Series: The American Experience in Archaeological Perspective
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 28 October 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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.