An Archaeology of Unchecked Capitalism
From the American Rust Belt to the Developing World
Published on 1. October 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
164 pages
978-1-83695-323-4 (ISBN)
Description
The racialization of immigrant labor and the labor strife in the coal and textile communities in northeastern Pennsylvania appears to be an isolated incident in history. Rather this history can serve as a touchstone, connecting the history of the exploited laborers to today's labor in the global economy. By drawing parallels between the past and present - for example, the coal mines of the nineteenth-century northeastern Pennsylvania and the sweatshops of the twenty-first century in Bangladesh - we can have difficult conversations about the past and advance our commitment to address social justice issues.
Reviews / Votes
"Highly recommended." * Choice"This is an important and insightful book that demonstrates how social injustice is perpetuated in the legacy of exploitation in the past and our failure to protect developing nations from the same fate in the present." * Antiquity
"This is a magnificent book and deserves to be widely read. At a time when many people around the world are losing faith in politicians and American global leadership it illustrates how historical archaeology can connect past and present and reveals how the 'slow violence' of industrial capitalism has devastated landscapes and continues to blight the lives of transgenerational global communities." * James Symonds, University of Amsterdam
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
10 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
237 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83695-323-4 (9781836953234)
DOI
10.3167/9781789205473
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Paul Shackel
An Archaeology of Unchecked Capitalism
From the American Rust Belt to the Developing World
E-Book
12/2019
1st Edition
Berghahn Books
€19.49
Available for download
Person
Paul Shackel is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Maryland. His research projects have focused on the role of archaeology in civic engagement activities related to race and labor. A sample of his work on this topic includes: New Philadelphia: An Archaeology of Race in the Heartland (2011), and a coauthored volume with Barbara Little - Archaeology, Heritage and Civic Engagement: Working toward the Public Good (2014). He recently published Remembering Lattimer: Migration, Labor, and Race in Pennsylvania Anthracite Country (2018) which focuses on labor and migration in northern Appalachia in the United States.
Content
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. The History of Race in the Anthracite Coal Region
Chapter 2. An Archaeology of Immigration, Race, and Poverty in the Anthracite Coal Region
Chapter 3. Historic Trauma: Health and Well-Being in Northeastern Pennsylvania
Chapter 4. Offshoring the Textile Industry and Tragedy
Chapter 5. Offshoring Mining Industries and Tragedy
Conclusion: Difficult Histories are a Reality in the Present
References
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. The History of Race in the Anthracite Coal Region
Chapter 2. An Archaeology of Immigration, Race, and Poverty in the Anthracite Coal Region
Chapter 3. Historic Trauma: Health and Well-Being in Northeastern Pennsylvania
Chapter 4. Offshoring the Textile Industry and Tragedy
Chapter 5. Offshoring Mining Industries and Tragedy
Conclusion: Difficult Histories are a Reality in the Present
References