An Archaeology of Convict Leasing in the American South

Bibliographic Data

ID19002070
AuthorsCamille Westmont (0000-0003-4229-6340, Sewanee: The University of the South, corresponding author), Cayla B Colclasure (0000-0003-1248-0454, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Year2023
Volume13
Issue2
Pages134-169
Publication date2023-05-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2161-9441 • E-ISSN: 2161-9468
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21619441.2023.2205688
OpenAlexW4376644897
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited83

Between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, thousands of men, women, and children in the American South were forced to labor for private businesses and individuals under the convict lease system. This system disproportionately impacted Black men and boys, although it also ensnared Black women and girls as well as poor white men, women, and children. Motivated by the financial gains achieved through leasing prisoners, states ensured that the system continued despite numerous highly-publicized human rights violations. Although numerous scholars and grassroots activists have brought attention to the history of convict leasing, historical archaeology has only engaged with the phenomenon in a limited capacity. In this article, we call for archaeologists, and archaeologists of the African Diaspora in particular, to engage with sites and materialities of convict leasing more directly. Our article outlines a potential path forward for such a research program

Convict · Criminology · Diaspora · Grassroots · Lease · Political science · Politics · Salary · Sociology · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Gender Studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History · Law · Race, History, and American Society