The Archaeology of Antislavery Resistance (American Experience in Archaeological Pespective)

"Weik's comprehensive survey of the archaeology of freedom represents a critical contribution to African Diaspora studies, and serves as an admirable standard to which future research in this area should strive to achieve."--Maria Franklin, University of Texas at Austin

"Offers a fresh approach to understanding the varied ways in which enslaved people sought freedom."--Theresa Singleton, Syracuse University

In the days of slavery, people of African descent sought to protect their human rights, escape from bondage, and combat exploitation. Their actions varied across different settings and times, and included accommodation, collaboration, autonomy, and militancy. This volume focuses on the evolution of antislavery resistance by examining material culture, documents, oral traditions, and other evidence that illustrate how enslaved people fought for their freedom.

    Terrance Weik presents readers with case studies accumulated from the material record left by Maroons in the Americas, Black Seminoles, and the Underground Railroad. He specifically highlights the way archaeologists' contributions have added to our understanding of struggles for freedom from slavery that were pursued by people of the African Diaspora in the Americas and their allies.

    Weik encourages readers to consider the global dimensions of antislavery resistance as well as issues that continue to spark debate today, including racism, cultural survival, self-determination, and inequality.

“This fascinating study of resistance to African slavery in North America is a very important contribution to the relatively new and growing field of slavery archaeology. . . . [Weik] clearly shows that this antislavery resistance is poorly documented in the records of the dominant society and that the study of the material culture can provide subtle clues to the life and conduct of resisters. . . . Written as narrative, it is very accessible to both the professional and lay reader. It well reflects the beginning of an interesting new direction in archaeological research that is bound to produce dramatic results in years to come.”—American Archaeology

“Reviews studies that describe resistance in multidimensional ways, warning readers not to focus on the arguments of resistance to slavery in narrow terms of violence or activism, but to be aware that resistance took many forms and manifestations, depending on the community or the circumstances.”—Choice

“Offers a fresh approach to understanding the varied ways in which enslaved people sought freedom.”—Theresa Singleton, Syracuse University

Terrance M. Weik is associate professor of anthropology at the University of South Carolina.