“What is the use of plantation archaeology?” no use at all, if no one else is listening!

Abstract

This essay is a brief response to the commentary by Parker Potter, Jr. (1991) addressing the lack of self-reflection in plantation archaeology. While plantation archaeologists should seriously consider much of Potter’s discussion, it is argued here that Potter is wrong in assuming that African Americans are the main audience for plantation archaeology and that the only way information from plantation archaeology reaches the general public is through direct communication, such as public presentations and museum exhibits. The audience for plantation archaeology divides not along racial lines but intellectual lines. The primary audience is scholars, who then pass on the results of scholarly research to the general public through their teaching activities at universities, colleges, and museums. Therefore, the question that needs to be addressed is, Has plantation archaeology made any contribution to wider scholarship? It is argued here that scholars in other disciplines have found nothing of use to them in plantation archaeology and have, by and large, ignored this research. Plantation archaeologists can make a significant contribution to broader scholarship, but to do this, they need to make their research relevant to other scholars, incorporate the theoretical and substantive developments in other disciplines, and address the questions that no other discipline can answer. Only then will the full potential of plantation archaeology be realized.