On Both Sides of the Atlantic: Historical Archaeology of RuralModernization from the American and European Traditions

SAA 90th

Denver. Estados Unidos
Congreso. 2025

This session aims to bring together different archaeological perspectives on the effects, direction andmeaning of the modernization process in rural areas on both sides of the Atlantic (16-20 centuries). This collaboration is a direct consequence of the historical nature of this process, inserted in global capitalistdynamics of "back and forth" throughout the Atlantic Ocean, which have shaped the contemporary ruralareas on both sides. To this end, we propose a journey through a relevant selection of case studies ofdifferent scales and chronological ranges that contribute to the exchange of ideas and experiences on thearchaeology of these spaces.

The so-called modernization has diverse translations in rural areas, which very often have been elusivefrom the historical and archaeological narratives defi ning Modern and Contemporary History. Archaeologycan help qualify this variability and rescue aspects largely ignored by the great historical narratives whileexamining the effects on current local communities. Rural areas are also particularly productive spaces forrecovering the material memory of social and economic transformations of cultural landscapes. From theintense processes of abandonment, to alternative uses of natural resources or social and politicalexperimentation, the rural areas preserves the traces of changes and its possible responses.