UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

This course is an introduction to African Diaspora archaeology, a burgeoning area of study within the sub-discipline of historical archaeology. Students will explore the concept of diaspora as a means to critically understand the factors underlying the forced dispersal of African people. Participants will consider how archaeological studies of the African diaspora have yielded alternative interpretations of the black past. Throughout the semester, students will examine how archaeologists have investigated the physical and culture landscape, foodways, ritual and religion and objects from everyday life to reveal the ways the black people have resisted and responded to enslavement and other forms of racial oppression.