Comments on A Political Ecology of Water and Enslavement: Water Ways in Eighteenth-Century Caribbean Plantations by MW Hauser

2018-04-0

Editor\u27s Introduction

The introduction to the volume by the editor

Trying to Think Progressively About 19th-Century Farms

Recent excavations at a 19th-century estate manager\u27s farm at Milton, South Uist, in the Western Isles of Scotland, prompt comparison with New England farms of the same era. Of particular interest is the material signature of the move toward progressive farming manifested through the construction of model farms and the introduction of industrially-inspired farm management practices and technological innovations. Comparisons drawn between the Hebriden case study, Milton Farm, and the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury Massachusetts

Editor\u27s Introduction

Editor\u27s introduction to the volume

Scratching the Surface: Seven Seasons at the Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm, Newbury, Massachusetts

Results of excavations conducted between 1986 and 1994 at the Spencer-Pierce-Little farm, Newbury, Massachusetts, are summarized and evaluated in light of the research questions that have guided the project to date. Under continuous occupation and cultivation from 1635 to the present, the site has that potential to contribute to many topics of interest to historical archaeologists working in New England and elsewhere, including questions about ideological and practical aspects of landscape and land use; changing agricultural practice and the effects of agricultural reform; farm tenancy; the archaeology of the household and homelot; relationships between urban and rural contexts in early America; and a host of other issues

Editor\u27s Introduction

Editor\u27s introduction to the volume

Feasting on Broken Glass: Making a Meal of Seeds, Bones, and Sherds

Drawing on various lines of evidence that provide insight into late 18th- and early 19th-century episodes of dining at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, Massachusetts, I explore ways in which historical archaeologists can move from discussions of food and foodstuffs to explore menus, meals, and dining. I argue that by drawing together many lines of evidence—food remains such as bones, seeds, and shells; documentary sources; and ceramics, glassware, and utensils—archaeologists are able to “feast” upon the evidence and to go beyond merely reporting on what people ate in the past. They do so by exploring ways of interpreting food on the plate, wine in the glass, and meals on the table. The goal is to present a framework through which we can investigate not so much nutrition or ingredients but the experience of dining in early America, in specific contexts in which meals played important roles in the negotiation of social positioning and identity

Editor\u27s Introduction

Editor\u27s introduction to the volume