Daniel Sayers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Daniel Sayers

Choice Reviews Online, 2015

International Journal of Historical Archaeology

When thinking about ways to explore the American past with the goal of developing radical progres... more When thinking about ways to explore the American past with the goal of developing radical progressive modes of moving forward into our own histories, the specific perspectives we use and the people we study matter. In my interrogations of the lives of Maroons and Indigenous Americans of the Great Dismal Swamp (VA and NC), and transient hobos in Delta, PA, I have explored social worlds created by people who acted through a living critique of the wider capitalistic world. A central part of that critique was recognizing the parts of the American geographic landscape that we would later call "underdeveloped" or "undeveloped" areas effectively, "cracks" in the spatial world of capital. Using examples from my work, I discuss why these people do matter to our contemporary discussions on fomenting radical social transformations today.

stratigraphic data (e.g., field notes, maps, photographs) are currently curated at the Department... more stratigraphic data (e.g., field notes, maps, photographs) are currently curated at the Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University. SITE DESCRIPTION The James and Ellen G. White house site (20CA118) is currently owned by the Historic Adventist Village. The site is located in the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of section 1, Range 8W, Township 25 of Battle Creek township in Calhoun County (Figure 1-2). The original house site corresponds with Lots 64 (57 and 63-65 N. Wood Street) and 65 (71 N. Wood Street) of Manchester's 3rd addition (Figure 1-3). For the purposes of this study, we focused on Lot 64 where the house was originally built and border areas of the adjacent lots (2 and 3) to the south (Figure 1-4). The landscape slopes gently toward the south where the Kalamazoo River lies less than 1000' away from the site. The house is a wood frame, Greek Revival-style structure with two symmetrical wings and a rear addition. It was built for the Whites soon after they moved to Battle Creek from Rochester, New York, in 1854. Lot 3, located immediately. to the south, was occupied by another Sabbath-keeper or Adventist, Jonah Lewis. The house and associated landscape have undergone significant modifications over the past 143 years. These changes are important clues to the social identities and values of the occupants since 1856. In 1981 a group of laymen, church administrators, and educators established Adventist Historic Properties, Inc., to preserve the dwindling number of historic Seventh-day Adventist buildings in Battle Creek (Adventist Historic Properties 1990). Preservation of sites such as the James and Ellen G. White house is seen as a visible link between the present and the Adventist pioneers by helping to "recall their sense of prophetic mission when they founded the denomination" (Adventist Historic Properties 1990). For nearly two decades, the house has been been maintained as a pilgrimage site and is one of several important Seventh-day Adventist historical landmarks that attract visitors to Battle Creek (Davis and Stoltz 1996). The current appearance of the site and the history of landscape modifications are discussed in more detail in Chapters 3 and 4. ORGANIZATION OF TiilS REPORT Chapter 2 of this report presents the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the study by discussing the research design and the methods used to guide our geophysical and archaeological investigations. An historical overview of Battle Creek beginning in the early 19th century and a brief history 4 1000

Not long ago, an editor told me that there was no need in my submitted manuscript to include disc... more Not long ago, an editor told me that there was no need in my submitted manuscript to include discussions of how brutal and oppressive enslavement was for those African Diasporans who endured it. This editor thought that such language was mere hyperbole and that everyone is aware of how awful enslavement was because it has been so well discussed. I remember thinking that this was an interesting opinion. In my submission, I was writing about the Maroons and other Diasporans of the Great Dismal Swamp (ca. 1607–1860) in the mid-Atlantic USA and the sites I have been working on for about a decade. And I thought that if there was ever a context for which assessments of the quality of life people experienced under enslavement were requisite to any reasonable narrative, this was it: people inhabited the swamp permanently because of those very horrid conditions they faced in the enslaving world outside the swamp. Also, I surmised that there is always a need to remind ourselves of what these ...

This essay focuses on the Historical Archaeology of African American Maroons and Indigenous Ameri... more This essay focuses on the Historical Archaeology of African American Maroons and Indigenous Americans who settled the Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia and North Carolina (U.S.A) in the 250+ years between 1607 and 1863. These were resistance communities, par excellence, and our archaeological research has yielded much information and material culture related to their communities and social world. From this evidence, we recognize an important instantiation of multigenerational resistance and defiance of the tyrannies of capitalistic enslavement and white supremacy that defined the world beyond the swamp. Therefore, as will be discussed, leftist researchers and activists have an opportunity to reflect upon, critically assess, and inform their own praxes by examining the lives and political economy of these swamp radicals of the past.

An intensive archaeological survey was conducted at the Shepard site (20CA104) in Battle Cr�ek, M... more An intensive archaeological survey was conducted at the Shepard site (20CA104) in Battle Cr�ek, Michigan from April 29 through July 12, 1996. Historical background research had indicated that the site was the location of Native American activity until the 1830s when it was settled by the town's first school teacher, Warren B. Shepard. In the early 1850s, Shepard constructed a large, brick Greek Revival house on the site that stands to this day. The house and its associated landscape have been the focus of our investigations. Documentary evidence suggested the presence of various outbuildings and other landscape features that were typical components of a mid-19th century farmstead. The purpose of the survey was to identify and evaluate material traces of buildings and activity areas in the vicinity of the house and interpret their changes in a political economic framework. Toward this end, a team of archaeologists and geophysicists from Western Michigan University conducted a wal...

The Archaeology of Maroons, Indigenous Americans, and Enslaved Laborers in the Great Dismal Swamp, 2014

Revue d'histoire du XIXe siècle

Cet essai porte sur l’archeologie des Marrons afro-americains et des Amerindiens qui se sont etab... more Cet essai porte sur l’archeologie des Marrons afro-americains et des Amerindiens qui se sont etablis dans le Grand marais lugubre (Great Dismal Swamp) de Virginie et de Caroline du Nord (Etats-Unis) entre 1607 et 1863. Il s’agissait de communautes de resistance par excellence et nos recherches archeologiques ont permis de trouver de nombreuses informations et une culture materielle liee a leurs communautes et a leur monde social. A partir de ces traces, nous pouvons identifier des manieres de resister a travers les generations et de defier les tyrannies de l’esclavage capitaliste et de la suprematie blanche qui definissaient alors le monde au-dela du marais. Par consequent, les chercheurs comme les activistes de gauche ont l’occasion de reflechir, d’evaluer de maniere critique et d’informer leurs propres pratiques en examinant la vie et l’economie politique de ces radicaux du marais.

... Brendan Burke, Aaron Henry, Vipra Ghimire, and Brent Fortenberry committed themselves to regu... more ... Brendan Burke, Aaron Henry, Vipra Ghimire, and Brent Fortenberry committed themselves to regularly volunteering to help me do the mucky, slow ... take heavy soil samples out of the swamp: many thanks to Derek Miller, Shannon Mahoney, Nancy Phaup, Dave Brown, Meredith ...