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Evidence of Absence

The History of Exclusivity in Archaeology
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A critical history of exclusion and its consequences for archaeological knowledge

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" has long guided archaeological thinking, and this volume takes that principle as both method and critique. Evidence of Absence brings together leading scholars to investigate whose presence has gone unrecognized in American archaeology and why women, Black, LGBTQ , Indigenous, and disabled scholars have been excluded within the discipline itself.

Through historical analysis, case studies, archival research, and theoretical interventions, volume contributors trace how archaeologys foundations in the late nineteenth century embedded exclusionary practices into its methods and interpretations. The volume demonstrates how these biases have shaped reconstructions of the past and current structures and norms. By identifying both the people who were always there and the processes that rendered them invisible, this book offers a critical rethinking of archaeological knowledge and points toward more inclusive, reflexive, and rigorous practices for the future.

Maureen Meyers is the director of archaeology at New South Associates, Inc. Previously an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Mississippi, she served as the president of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference from 2020-2022 and is the coeditor of Archaeological Perspectives on the Southern Appalachians and Contact, Colonialism, and Native Communities in the Southeastern United States.

Sarah N. Janesko is a senior archaeologist with New South Associates, Inc. She served as a co-chair on the Society for American Archaeologys Social Justice and Decolonization Task Forces from 2020-2022 and 2023-2024.

"Evidence of Absence is essential reading for any scholar committed to factual and evidence-based accounts of the past. Each case study carefully unravels prior exclusionary practices, bringing us closer to an archaeology that represents the full complexity of the human experience."-Barbara L. Voss, professor of anthropology, Stanford University

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