• Lessons from the Bakken Oil Patch

    Author(s):
    William Caraher (see profile) , Richard Rothaus, Bret Weber
    Date:
    2017
    Group(s):
    Archaeology
    Item Type:
    Article
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M68K0G
    Abstract:
    This is a preprint of an article that appeared in the Journal Contemporary Archaeology. The article summarizes the recent work of the North Dakota Man Camp Project to understand the largely undocumented migrants arriving in the Bakken Oil Patch for work. It argues that efforts to document short-term labor in the Bakken exposes particular challenges facing the archaeology of the modern world ranging from the ephemerality of short-term settlements to the hyper-abundance of modern objects. The use of photography, video, interviews, and descriptions produced an abundant archive of archaeological ephemera that in some ways parallels the modern character of temporary workforce housing. The final section of this article offers some perspectives on how work in the Bakken oil patch can inform policy, our understanding of material culture in the modern world, and the role of the discipline in forming a shared narrative.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    10.1558/jca.31771
    Publisher:
    Equinox Publishing
    Pub. Date:
    2017-7-13
    Journal:
    Journal of Contemporary Archaeology
    Volume:
    3
    Issue:
    2
    ISSN:
    2051-3429,2051-3437
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    6 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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