The “Color” of Heritage: Decolonizing Collaborative Archaeology in the Caribbean

Abstract

This article explores the intersection of postcolonial theory and archaeology as it relates to the process of collaboratively investigating Afro-Caribbean heritage. Decolonizing archaeology involves asking uncomfortable questions regarding fundamental aspects of archaeological practice. The author examines the possibility that historical archaeologists sometimes miss collaborative projects due to a site’s assumed racial classification. The grouping of sites around the perceived ancestry of its inhabitants may restrict the ability of archaeologists to craft collaborative projects with various publics in postcolonial locations like the Caribbean. Recent research on Nevis provides a case study demonstrating how groups develop deep affinities for locations and how these affinities may cut across lines of color. The author’s goal is not to critique other approaches, but to challenge his own practice of archaeology by reflexively constructing a cosmopolitan past, one which reflects increased agency for groups feeling connected to a site regardless of any externally-defined racial affiliation.

Keywords:

• Afro-Caribbean heritage
• Nevis
• collaboration
• site selection

Acknowledgements

This article and the research supporting it would not have been possible without the people of Nevis. I am particularly indebted to Evelyn Henville of the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society and Edward Herbert of Peak Heaven. They have both helped me to better understand how archaeology can serve local interests. I am also grateful to the students of the annual Monmouth University field school in Caribbean historical archaeology. The project was made possible by funding from Monmouth University Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences as well as Monmouth University’s Geographic Information Systems Program, which provided monetary and equipment support. I also want to extend a special thank you to my partner, Diana González-Tennant, who volunteers her time to serve as the project’s assistant field director.