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Humanist Missteps, A Black Studies Critique of Posthumanist Archaeologies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2024

Matthew C. Greer Open the ORCID record for Matthew C. Greer [Opens in a new window]
Matthew C. Greer*
Affiliation:
Archaeometry Laboratory University of Missouri Research Reactor Columbia, MO 65211 USA Email: mcg5s@virginia.edu
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Abstract

Posthumanist archaeologies have attempted to move beyond humanist conceptions of the human for over a decade. But they have done so by primarily focusing on the ontological split between humans and non-human things. This only addresses one part of humanism, as Black studies scholars have long argued that it also equates humanity writ large with white, economically privileged, cis-gendered, heterosexual men, thereby excluding everyone else from the category of the human. They further argue that the violence and oppression inflicted on those excluded from humanism's definition of the human allows this ontological category to come into being. This article introduces Black studies’ critiques of humanism and applies them to posthumanist archaeologies. Ultimately, it argues that by not attending to the critiques raised by Black studies scholars, posthumanist archaeologies have inadvertently made humanist missteps wherein they continue using elements of humanism's definition of the human in their attempts to move beyond humanism.

Type
Research Article
Information
Cambridge Archaeological Journal , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , February 2024 , pp. 1 - 14
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

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