The Archaeology of Contemporary America

An introduction to the field of
contemporary archaeology as practiced in the United States



This
book is the first survey of contemporary archaeology, a field that focuses on
the study of the past 50 years, in the United States. William Caraher
demonstrates the plurality of theoretical and methodological approaches that
make this discipline in the US unique, including the application of anthropological
methods such as ethnography and oral history and the contributions of collaborative
and community-based research.

Opening
with a case study of the excavation of Atari games from a municipal landfill in
Alamogordo, New Mexico, Caraher invites readers into discussions of the
archaeology of garbage, consumer objects, and digital music and video devices. He
then synthesizes research on migrant camps, homelessness, military bases,
residential school campuses, and urbanism, and offers a second case study: an
examination of temporary workforce housing in North Dakota's Bakken oil boom.

The
Archaeology of Contemporary America explores how American historical
archaeology, with its emphasis on consumer culture, race, and social class,
provided a foundation for early efforts to apply archaeology to the
contemporary world. Caraher also situates US contemporary archaeology in a
global context that traces networks of extractive industries, manufacturing, and
discard practices that make the American experience possible.



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