James Davidson, Ph.D.
Title : Assistant Professor, joint appointment with African American Studies
Interests : Historical archaeology (19th/20th century), african diaspora, mortuary studies, folk beliefs
Programs : Archaeology
Personal Statement
Although my early training was in North American prehistory, since the early 1990s I have worked primarily in historical archaeology, pursuing two main threads--issues of the African Diaspora and Mortuary Archaeology. These two interests emerged out of my work at a single site: Freedman's Cemetery in downtown Dallas, Texas, the primary place of burial for all of Dallas's African American community between 1869 and 1907. Due to highway construction, in the early 1990s a team of researchers spent nearly three years exhuming 1,157 individuals from an acre of the venerable cemetery. I deal primarily with late 19th century and early 20th century contexts, in cemeteries as well as occupation/household sites. Through a partnership with the St. Paul United Methodist Church, I helped lead an excavation at a former shotgun house site adjacent to and owned by the church. I have a strong desire to contextualize my archaeological data as much as possible with archival documentation and other sources. Within these contexts, I deal with the theoretical issues of race/ethnicity, identity, memory, and domination/resistance. At the University of Florida I plan to continue my work documenting the African-American Experience in Dallas as well as begin local projects within North Florida, allowing the African-American community to guide my research, addressing those issues and sites they deem of value. My first effort toward this goal is my current work with the survivors and descendant community of Rosewood, the former African-American community destroyed by a white mob in January 1923.
Office
Turlington Hall, Room B128
PO 117305
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7305
Phone Number : 352-392-2253 x256
Email : davidson@anthro.ufl.edu
Webpage : http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/davidson
