Camille Westmont - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
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Papers by Camille Westmont
Historical Archaeology, 2022
America's Gilded Age industries were infamous for their labor abuses; however, new research indic... more America's Gilded Age industries were infamous for their labor abuses; however, new research indicates that companies also attempted to use the architectural layouts of workers' houses to further manipulate workers and protect corporate interests. Drawing on existing architecture, oral histories, and proposed future floor plans, this article evaluates the potential motivations behind seemingly inconsequential changes between the houses built at Lattimer No. 2 and the proposed houses to be built at Lattimer No. 3 in northeastern Pennsylvania. Although the power structures inherent in company towns afforded the company control over every aspect of their workers' lives, a review of architectural changes to workers' houses over time reveals how the manipulation of physical space promoted community surveillance, increased formality, and decreased interaction with neighbors. While subtle, these types of modifications indicate a shift in the relationship between the company and its workers and can provide more insight into the experiences of workers in coalcompany towns.
Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage, 2023
Between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, thousands of men, women, and children in ... more Between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, thousands of men, women, and children in the American South were forced to labor for private businesses and individuals under the convict lease system. This system disproportionately impacted Black men and boys, although it also ensnared Black women and girls as well as poor white men, women, and children. Motivated by the financial gains achieved through leasing prisoners, states ensured that the system continued despite numerous highlypublicized human rights violations. Although numerous scholars and grassroots activists have brought attention to the history of convict leasing, historical archaeology has only engaged with the phenomenon in a limited capacity. In this article, we call for archaeologists, and archaeologists of the African Diaspora in particular, to engage with sites and materialities of convict leasing more directly. Our article outlines a potential path forward for such a research program.
Archaeology of Eastern North America, 2020
The research presents a new typology and new regional characteristics of Fort Ancient period grou... more The research presents a new typology and new regional characteristics of Fort Ancient period groundstone discoidals. Groundstone discoidals are a common artifact type in Middle and early Late Fort Ancient archaeological assemblages; however, little work has been done to analyze and compare this artifact type. Current typologies of Mississippian chunkey stones developed by Perino (1971) and Kelly et al. (1987) do not adequately describe the forms of groundstone discoidals found on Fort Ancient sites. This study presents a morphologically-driven typology for Fort Ancient groundstone discoidals based on observed examples from across the state of Kentucky. The definitions of the typology and the results of a geographical comparison of Fort Ancient groundstone discoidals from three regions in Kentucky are presented.
Landscape Research, 2021
Over the last 130 years, the landscapes of northern Iceland's shing villages have experienced rep... more Over the last 130 years, the landscapes of northern Iceland's shing villages have experienced repeated recon gurations based on changing technology, cultural developments, and ecological shifts. However, the interconnected nature of these changes and their role in enabling industrial success have not been systematically assessed. This project aimed to evaluate the ecological and cultural histories of the herring industry of northern Iceland vis-à-vis the built environments in Siglufjörður in order to understand how changes in the built environment facilitated resiliency or increased vulnerability in the adaptive cycle through the spatial and temporal analyses of maps and aerial photographs of the landscape. This paper utilises an adaptive cycle framework to better understand how communities responded to disruptions in the shing industry. Understanding the relationship between the built environment and the adaptive cycles of industrial communities can help illuminate the factors that cause settlements to succeed or fail.
Tourism Planning & Development , 2021
Dramatic growth in the tourism industry in the Andean region of Peru has created an influx of new... more Dramatic growth in the tourism industry in the Andean region of Peru has created an influx of new economic opportunities in the tourism industry. However, unplanned expansion has led to unequal access to those opportunities, especially for indigenous communities. Southern Andean communities continue to suffer from high rates of poverty and diseases. Work by the Cusco-based non-governmental organization Sierra Productiva has demonstrated that grassroots, people-focused sustainable development program can rectify many of these social ills by building capacity at the individual and community level while also promoting sustainable tourism. This article exploresSierra Productiva's cuy (guinea pig) farming operations in the Peruvian Andes outside Cusco to demonstrate how small-scale agricultural enterprises can create mutually beneficial relationships that promote cultural and ecological sustainability within the tourism sector without creating relationships of dependency. This example provides a model for sustainable tourism development that can provide a framework for other areas of tourism.
Journal of Museum Education, 2020
The University of Maryland's Stamp Art Gallery provides students and University visitors with an ... more The University of Maryland's Stamp Art Gallery provides students and University visitors with an opportunity to experience contemporary art in an accessible location; however, ethnographic research indicates that the goals of the gallery's administrators do not always align with the experiences of visitors. Findings show that the gallery administrators' goals related to education and conversations about contemporary art were misaligned with visitor experiences, which were characterized by feelings of confusion. Researchers used interviews and participant observation to understand the motivations and perceptions of each group in order to suggest ways to bridge the divide.
Maryland Historical Magazine, 2019
National Trust for Historic Preservation Forum Journal, 2020
Journal of Material Culture, 2020
Historical Archaeology, 2022
America's Gilded Age industries were infamous for their labor abuses; however, new research indic... more America's Gilded Age industries were infamous for their labor abuses; however, new research indicates that companies also attempted to use the architectural layouts of workers' houses to further manipulate workers and protect corporate interests. Drawing on existing architecture, oral histories, and proposed future floor plans, this article evaluates the potential motivations behind seemingly inconsequential changes between the houses built at Lattimer No. 2 and the proposed houses to be built at Lattimer No. 3 in northeastern Pennsylvania. Although the power structures inherent in company towns afforded the company control over every aspect of their workers' lives, a review of architectural changes to workers' houses over time reveals how the manipulation of physical space promoted community surveillance, increased formality, and decreased interaction with neighbors. While subtle, these types of modifications indicate a shift in the relationship between the company and its workers and can provide more insight into the experiences of workers in coalcompany towns.
Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage, 2023
Between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, thousands of men, women, and children in ... more Between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, thousands of men, women, and children in the American South were forced to labor for private businesses and individuals under the convict lease system. This system disproportionately impacted Black men and boys, although it also ensnared Black women and girls as well as poor white men, women, and children. Motivated by the financial gains achieved through leasing prisoners, states ensured that the system continued despite numerous highlypublicized human rights violations. Although numerous scholars and grassroots activists have brought attention to the history of convict leasing, historical archaeology has only engaged with the phenomenon in a limited capacity. In this article, we call for archaeologists, and archaeologists of the African Diaspora in particular, to engage with sites and materialities of convict leasing more directly. Our article outlines a potential path forward for such a research program.
Archaeology of Eastern North America, 2020
The research presents a new typology and new regional characteristics of Fort Ancient period grou... more The research presents a new typology and new regional characteristics of Fort Ancient period groundstone discoidals. Groundstone discoidals are a common artifact type in Middle and early Late Fort Ancient archaeological assemblages; however, little work has been done to analyze and compare this artifact type. Current typologies of Mississippian chunkey stones developed by Perino (1971) and Kelly et al. (1987) do not adequately describe the forms of groundstone discoidals found on Fort Ancient sites. This study presents a morphologically-driven typology for Fort Ancient groundstone discoidals based on observed examples from across the state of Kentucky. The definitions of the typology and the results of a geographical comparison of Fort Ancient groundstone discoidals from three regions in Kentucky are presented.
Landscape Research, 2021
Over the last 130 years, the landscapes of northern Iceland's shing villages have experienced rep... more Over the last 130 years, the landscapes of northern Iceland's shing villages have experienced repeated recon gurations based on changing technology, cultural developments, and ecological shifts. However, the interconnected nature of these changes and their role in enabling industrial success have not been systematically assessed. This project aimed to evaluate the ecological and cultural histories of the herring industry of northern Iceland vis-à-vis the built environments in Siglufjörður in order to understand how changes in the built environment facilitated resiliency or increased vulnerability in the adaptive cycle through the spatial and temporal analyses of maps and aerial photographs of the landscape. This paper utilises an adaptive cycle framework to better understand how communities responded to disruptions in the shing industry. Understanding the relationship between the built environment and the adaptive cycles of industrial communities can help illuminate the factors that cause settlements to succeed or fail.
Tourism Planning & Development , 2021
Dramatic growth in the tourism industry in the Andean region of Peru has created an influx of new... more Dramatic growth in the tourism industry in the Andean region of Peru has created an influx of new economic opportunities in the tourism industry. However, unplanned expansion has led to unequal access to those opportunities, especially for indigenous communities. Southern Andean communities continue to suffer from high rates of poverty and diseases. Work by the Cusco-based non-governmental organization Sierra Productiva has demonstrated that grassroots, people-focused sustainable development program can rectify many of these social ills by building capacity at the individual and community level while also promoting sustainable tourism. This article exploresSierra Productiva's cuy (guinea pig) farming operations in the Peruvian Andes outside Cusco to demonstrate how small-scale agricultural enterprises can create mutually beneficial relationships that promote cultural and ecological sustainability within the tourism sector without creating relationships of dependency. This example provides a model for sustainable tourism development that can provide a framework for other areas of tourism.
Journal of Museum Education, 2020
The University of Maryland's Stamp Art Gallery provides students and University visitors with an ... more The University of Maryland's Stamp Art Gallery provides students and University visitors with an opportunity to experience contemporary art in an accessible location; however, ethnographic research indicates that the goals of the gallery's administrators do not always align with the experiences of visitors. Findings show that the gallery administrators' goals related to education and conversations about contemporary art were misaligned with visitor experiences, which were characterized by feelings of confusion. Researchers used interviews and participant observation to understand the motivations and perceptions of each group in order to suggest ways to bridge the divide.
Maryland Historical Magazine, 2019
National Trust for Historic Preservation Forum Journal, 2020
Journal of Material Culture, 2020