Di Hu, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, James Madison University
"Approaches to the Archaeology of Resistance: A Case Study from the Colonial Andes"
What does an archaeology of resistance look like? While battlefield archaeology zooms in on the specific conditions and movements of particular battles, how does one study the invisible social forces that underpinned revolts and rebellions from long ago? In this talk, I draw from anthropological and sociological theories to demonstrate how historical archaeology can contribute unique insights into why and how people resist. Specifically, I look at how historical archaeology can reveal hidden social landscapes that enabled the general rebellions of the Andes during the "Age of Revolutions" in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Doing so can help us draw larger lessons concerning the conditions for social movements to be successful.