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Ruins, Resources, and Archaeology: Valuing People and Spaces in Baltimore

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Abstract

The capitalist process seeks to maximize the accumulation of capital by creating, maintaining, and reinventing divisions and distance. The result is the devaluing of people to a state whereby they are expendable and the violence they experience can be justified, perpetuated, and ignored. Space is a crucial component of this process, allowing for the destruction and creation of new configurations of capital circulation that foster a landscape of depreciation and exploitation. The landscapes of Baltimore throughout time show the contrast between affluence and poverty and the degree to which the capitalist process shapes lives and space in and around the city and devalues them. Drawing from Baltimore, this article argues that archaeology can play a role in detailing the history of capitalism in space and can work towards countering its effects.

Extracto

El proceso capitalista busca maximizar la acumulación de capital por medio de crear, mantener y reinventar divisiones y distancia. El resultado es la devaluación de las personas a un estado en el que son prescindibles y la violencia que experimentan puede ser justificada, perpetuada e ignorada. El espacio es un componente crucial de este proceso, que permite la destrucción y creación de nuevas configuraciones de circulación de capital que fomentan un paisaje de depreciación y explotación. Los paisajes de Baltimore a través del tiempo muestran el contraste entre la riqueza y la pobreza y el grado en que el proceso capitalista da forma a las vidas y el espacio dentro y alrededor de la ciudad y los devalúa. A partir de Baltimore, este artículo sostiene que la arqueología puede desempeñar un papel en detallar la historia del capitalismo en el espacio y puede contribuir a contrarrestar sus efectos.

Résumé

Le processus capitaliste s'efforce de maximiser l'accumulation du capital par la création, le maintien et la réinvention de divisions et d'une distance. Le résultat en est une dévaluation des personnes à un état les rendant interchangeables et permettant que la violence dont elles font l'expérience soit justifiée, perpétuée et ignorée. L'espace est une composante cruciale de ce processus, car il permet la destruction et la création de nouvelles configurations de circulation des capitaux, favorisant ainsi un paysage de dépréciation et d'exploitation. Les paysages de Baltimore au cours du temps illustrent le contraste entre la prospérité et la pauvreté, et le degré suivant lequel le processus capitaliste façonne les vies et l'espace au sein comme autour de la ville pour ensuite les dévaluer. Inspiré de Baltimore, cet article postule que l'archéologie peut jouer un rôle pour exposer en détail l'histoire du capitalisme dans l'espace et qu'elle peut servir à contrecarrer ses effets.

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Acknowledgments:

I would like to thank Guido Pezzarossi for inviting me to contribute an article to this thematic collection and offering so many constructive suggestions. Paul Shackel was also kind enough to review an earlier version of this paper and offer several helpful comments.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A.

    Adam Fracchia

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Fracchia, A. Ruins, Resources, and Archaeology: Valuing People and Spaces in Baltimore. Hist Arch 53, 516–534 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-019-00201-y

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