Archaeologies of the British : Explorations of Identity in the United Kingdom and Its Colonies 1600-1945

Beginning with the early English colonisation of Ireland and Virginia, the international range of contributors in Archaeology of the British examine the interplay of objects and identity in Scotland and Wales, regional England, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Cyprus, and Sri Lanka. Informed by developments in historical archaeology and by postcolonial scholarship, the case-studies in this volume look at the colonists themselves. The evidence draws upon includes vernacular architecture, landscapes, and objects of everyday life. Archaeologies of the British makes it clear that Britishness has never been a fixed entity, and that material culture can challenge historical and contemporary understandings of Britishness.