Final Report Summary - ENTANGLED HISTORIES (Entangled Histories: The Historical Archaeology of Anglo-Indigenous Interactions in Colonial New England)
The historical archaeology of the modern world is an ever-expanding area of study in the social sciences. Its subject matter, the creation of the modern, globally connected world, includes processes of colonization and cultural admixture over the last 500 years as one of its central research foci. The interplay of material, written, and spoken records has much to offer the study of colonialism. Contributions in this area include new understandings of identity maintenance, cultural continuity and change, ethnogenesis, intermarriage, sexuality, labor, and resistance in colonial contexts. Such studies typically use archaeological methodologies to explore the novel cultural formations that resulted from European colonialism in the modern era.
In many instances, scholars working on these issues also challenge and expand the traditional scope of archaeology to consider the impacts that their research has for non-academic “stakeholders” in the present, particularly descendant communities. This body of work offers new and invaluable perspectives on colonial interaction while also conducting research that respects Indigenous perspectives and exposes under-represented groups to archaeology. These approaches thus enhance knowledge of the past while simultaneously diversifying the field of archaeology in the present.
This research project builds upon—and contributes to—the studies introduced above by investigating the ways in which English and Anglo-American settlers interacted with Indigenous populations of New England. The project is divided into two main parts. Part 1 concerns the publication and dissemination of findings from the applicant’s research on Brothertown history and archaeology, including the publication of a full-length book manuscript with the University of Arizona Press and the production of an edited volume dedicated to comparative colonialism that will bring the Brothertown case into further dialogue with other studies of colonialism. Part 2 concerns the implementation of a new phase of data collection, which will involve archaeological fieldwork with the Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut and archival research on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Thus far, the project has met and exceeded all goals laid out in the initial grant application. Please note that nothing has changed since the last periodic report in April of 2015. This is because Craig Cipolla accepted a new non-EU job at that time. Having noted this, the project goals range from implementing an innovative collaborative archaeological field school in partnership with the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut to giving public lectures and from publishing the research results in academic venues to teaching archaeology in new ways. Each of these facets has contributed directly to the success of the candidate (Craig Cipolla) in passing his 2014 probationary review at the University of Leicester and being made a permanent lecturer in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History.
In many instances, scholars working on these issues also challenge and expand the traditional scope of archaeology to consider the impacts that their research has for non-academic “stakeholders” in the present, particularly descendant communities. This body of work offers new and invaluable perspectives on colonial interaction while also conducting research that respects Indigenous perspectives and exposes under-represented groups to archaeology. These approaches thus enhance knowledge of the past while simultaneously diversifying the field of archaeology in the present.
This research project builds upon—and contributes to—the studies introduced above by investigating the ways in which English and Anglo-American settlers interacted with Indigenous populations of New England. The project is divided into two main parts. Part 1 concerns the publication and dissemination of findings from the applicant’s research on Brothertown history and archaeology, including the publication of a full-length book manuscript with the University of Arizona Press and the production of an edited volume dedicated to comparative colonialism that will bring the Brothertown case into further dialogue with other studies of colonialism. Part 2 concerns the implementation of a new phase of data collection, which will involve archaeological fieldwork with the Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut and archival research on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Thus far, the project has met and exceeded all goals laid out in the initial grant application. Please note that nothing has changed since the last periodic report in April of 2015. This is because Craig Cipolla accepted a new non-EU job at that time. Having noted this, the project goals range from implementing an innovative collaborative archaeological field school in partnership with the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut to giving public lectures and from publishing the research results in academic venues to teaching archaeology in new ways. Each of these facets has contributed directly to the success of the candidate (Craig Cipolla) in passing his 2014 probationary review at the University of Leicester and being made a permanent lecturer in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History.