I would like to introduce the blogisphere to my loving boyfriend. He has not been mentioned in the last few blogs because I knew I could not do him justice. So this week is his week to blog about his passion and love for not only detroit but his love for archeology. My real life Indiana Jones is expecting an introduction from me listing off his credentials and extreme amounts of expertise, but the real reason he gets to write the blog below is because he is the one that keeps me going. He is the man who reads everyone of my blogs, handles my crazy world, pushes me to be my very best, feeds my candy addiction and has supported me everystep of the way. So without further ado, I invite you to read the lovey words of the increadibly wise, soon to be Graduate Student of the University of California Riverside, Joshua Lieto.

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Archaeology? In Detroit?

 
Perhaps one of the most common images of Detroit is that of a city in ruins; according to the mainstream media, Detroit is a city that has been so thoroughly abandoned that it cannot even provide basic services to its remaining residents. The mayor of a city on the east coast wondered aloud whether such a place should even exist*; and despite the fervent backlash, his seemingly careless remarks touched upon a much larger misconception about Detroit: that it is dead, and is never coming back. At about the same time, Anthony Bourdain mused that “Detroit is screwed,” comparing it to Chernobyl, a nuclear wasteland in the far reaches of Siberia. Butting up against these perceptions are Detroiters themselves: 700,000 people still call the city home; 700,000 people still choose to live there. Taking this into account, it’s easy to see how disagreements and hostility have arisen between Detroiters and the outside world over the years.
 
Enter archaeology. When most people think of archaeology, they think of the ruins of ancient cultures; they think of the Pyramids of Giza, which haven’t been used for the better part of 5,000 years, or the Parthenon of Athens, which was built around 450 BCE and slowly fell apart for centuries during the Middle Ages. Most people don’t think about Detroit. However, in the past century, focus has shifted from the study of ancient ruins in exotic locales to an examination of all stages of human history – and nowadays, this includes the recent past. And part of America’s recent past, of course, is the rise and fall of great industrial centers like the city of Detroit.

Archaeologists, seeking to understand this recent past, have been working in cities like Detroit for some time. It is at this point that another tension arises: remember, to most people, archaeology is a discipline that not only studies ruins, it thrives on them; it needs ruins to exist. This in mind, Detroiters rightfully wonder, to what degree are archaeologists simply engaging in “ruin porn”? To what extent are they taking part in the all-too-common narrative that Detroit is dead? 

 
While this is definitely a legitimate concern, what I am here to do is to tell you that this is not the case. 

To be certain, archaeologists want to study ruins. But we want to study them so we can begin to understand the transformations – which include both rises and falls – that human societies have experienced throughout all of history. Understanding these transformations can help us discover ways to help communities work through their struggles and thrive on their own terms: a basic paradigm of contemporary archaeology is that a thorough knowledge of the past helps people better understand the present and prepare for the future. I encourage everyone to get involved with local archaeologists, because we’re not just out there documenting decay (or pillaging priceless items of cultural patrimony – tip of the hat to Mr. Indiana Jones for that stereotype); we’re working each day to understand the past so that we can help communities plan for the future.


If you’re looking for local archaeology projects in Detroit, I’d recommend getting in contact with Wayne State’s Department of Anthropology:

http://clasweb.clas.wayne.edu/Anthropology/Archaeology

 
 

*http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/09/03/boston-mayor-says-hed-blow-up-detroit-and-start-over/)


Love,
 
Josh