Public Archaeology for the Twenty-First Century

In Public Archaeology for the Twenty-First Century, James F. Brooks and Jeremy M. Moss have collected essays from twenty-seven scholars and community members to illuminate archaeological sites like ancient “water courts” at Mound Key in Florida, the lost Black cemetery at Nashville Zoo, fur-trade-era Fort Michilimackinac, and Arizona’s Gila Bend Internment Camp. Each case offers readers an experience that enlivens the past while speaking to the present. These essays wrestle with key tensions in the field of public archaeology. What do we mean by “public”? Is this site public facing or public participating? Does “public” simply imply simplifications in scholarly rigor or does it require more creative attention to methods of analysis and interpretation to render stories sensible for those beyond the academy? In the broadest sense, these chapters explore the relationship between archaeological practice, the representation of archaeology and history, and our varied publics. This requires not only consultation with varied stakeholders but also collaborative partnerships with descendant communities who have direct connections to the heritage resources we wish to share.