Communities and archaeology under the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat, West Indies

The volcanically devastated landscape of Montserrat and its social fabric comprise what Maria calls a "traumascape"-a site of tragedy and catastrophe that is also a place of coping and resilience. How Montserratians engage with trauma is evident in how they remember their recent and histor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of field archaeology 2012-11, Vol.37 (4), p.316-327
Main Authors: Ryzewski, Krysta, Cherry, John F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeological conservation
Archaeological excavation
Archaeological Heritage and Ethics
Archaeological sites
archaeological survey
Archaeological surveys
Caribbean
Communities
community archaeology
cultural heritage
Cultural preservation
Field archaeology
Historical archaeology
Montserrat
natural disaster
Plantations
volcanic hazard
Volcanoes
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Summary:The volcanically devastated landscape of Montserrat and its social fabric comprise what Maria calls a "traumascape"-a site of tragedy and catastrophe that is also a place of coping and resilience. How Montserratians engage with trauma is evident in how they remember their recent and historical pasts, and in how they are reinventing aspects of their heritage in order to sustain a distinctly Montserratian identity for the future. Such a process of coping presents challenges for conducting archaeology in collaboration with the community. In this article, we describe the experiences of a recently established project on the island (Survey and Landscape Archaeology on Montserrat) and discuss the potential for, and the obstacles involved in, developing longer-term, sustainable forms of collaboration between archaeologists and local Montserratian communities when facing the unusual circumstances of volcanic disaster and hazard.
ISSN:0093-4690
2042-4582
DOI:10.1179/0093469012Z.00000000028