Transnational mobility of people, goods, ideas, and capital was a key feature of the British Empire in the long nineteenth century, as millions of migrants created new colonial societies at the expense of Indigenous peoples. Archaeological biographies of individuals provide crucial insight into these wider processes of social, material and environmental transformation. James William Robertson (1823–76) was an agent of change in this imperial-colonial domain. In 1852 he migrated from his birthplace of New Brunswick, Canada to the gold rush colony of Victoria, Australia where he developed interests in mining, water control and sawmilling. A decade later Robertson departed for the mining boom in Otago, New Zealand, where he expanded his business interests and entered public service as mayor of Queenstown and a provincial legislator. This paper uses the archaeology and history of Robertson’s life to trace his role as an agent of change at local, regional and international scales. His story links distant corners of the British Empire into a global story of colonialism, capitalism, and environmental change.

中文翻译：

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帝国公民：詹姆斯·威廉·罗伯逊的跨国考古学

人，商品，思想和资本的跨国流动是19世纪漫长的大英帝国的主要特征，成千上万的移民以牺牲土著人民为代价建立了新的殖民社会。个人的考古传记提供了对这些更广泛的社会，物质和环境转型过程的重要见识。詹姆斯·威廉·罗伯逊（James William Robertson，1823-76年）是这一帝国殖民领地变革的推动者。1852年，他从加拿大新不伦瑞克（New Brunswick）的出生地迁移到澳大利亚维多利亚淘金热的殖民地，在那里他对采矿，水控制和锯木厂产生了兴趣。十年后，罗伯逊（Robertson）离开新西兰奥塔哥（Otago）的采矿热潮，在那里他扩大了商业兴趣，并以皇后镇市长和省级立法者的身份进入公共服务领域。本文利用罗伯逊的生平和历史来追溯他在地方，区域和国际范围内作为变革推动者的角色。他的故事将大英帝国的遥远角落与殖民主义，资本主义和环境变化的全球故事联系起来。