About

I am a historical archaeologist who studies race, materiality, and consumer culture in the last half-millennium.  This includes research on the intersection of urban renewal and the color line; contemporary material culture and dark heritage; and race and consumer culture.  I am a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI); Docent in Historical Archaeology at the University of Oulu (Finland); Past-President of the Society for Historical Archaeology (2012-2013); and a former Fulbright Scholar at the University of Oulu.  I’m the author most recently of Revolting Things: An Archaeology of Shameful Histories and Repulsive Realities (January 2021), which expands many of the essays on dark history and materiality from this blog. I am also the author of Race and Affluence: An Archaeology of African America and Consumer Culture, Glazed America: A History of the Doughnut, and The Archaeology of Consumer Culture (see my academia.edu page for a selection of papers).  With my colleague Susan Hyatt, I was Charles R. Bantz Chancellor’s Community Fellow in 2016-2017 on the project Invisible Indianapolis: Race, Heritage, and Community Memory in the Circle City. I’m also a professional cycling geek; a Doctor Who nerd; and I wear a lot of paisley.

All of the opinions on the blog are mine alone and not the sentiments of IUPUI or the University of Oulu.