Re-Establishing Context for Orphaned Collections
A Case Study from the Market Street Chinatown, San Jose, California
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9337646 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Barbara L Vo (0000-0002-3511-3641, Stanford University, corresponding author), Megan S Kane (Stanford University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 87-111 |
| Publication date | 2012-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Collections A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1550-1906 • E-ISSN: 2631-9667 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/155019061200800202 |
| OpenAlex | W2554057818 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 7 |
While the primary rationale for curating orphaned archaeological collections is to restore the collections’ research potential, in practice such research programs are rarely actualized because of the challenges in reconstructing archaeological context. This article presents the results of a concerted effort undertaken to re-establish the context of the Market Street Chinatown archaeological collection. We outline the history of the excavation of the Market Street Chinatown, the subsequent “orphaning” of the collection, and the early efforts that uncovered the untapped research potential of the collection. Next, we describe the methods and results of the four-stage process we used during 2010–2011 to develop historical and archaeological context for research on the collection: archive analysis, methods analysis, feature context, and research potential assessment. While some of these procedures were tailored to the specific circumstances of the Market Street Chinatown collection, the overall process provides a model for re-establishing context for research purposes on other orphaned and endangered collections
Archaeology · Chinatown · Context (archaeology · Excavation · Geography · Archaeological Research and Protection · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History
Archaeologies of legacy
From “a Streak of Bad Luck” to “a Real Treasure
Curation as research. A case study in orphaned and underreported archaeological collections
Doing archaeology outside of the trench
Carving Chopsticks, Building Home
Museum “Diaspora” Collections for Archaeological Research
Reassembling the Mortuary Assemblage
Dusting Off the Data
Fan and Tsai
Approaching Archaeological Museum Collections through the Concept of Assemblage
| Citations per year | 0.71 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2026 (15) |
| Highly cited | No |