Whitney Battle-Baptiste is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Battle-Baptiste is a historical archaeologist interested in race, gender, and cultural landscapes. Her theoretical interests include Black Feminist theory, Critical Race Theory, the African Diaspora and critical heritage studies. Her publications include commentaries and papers in edited volumes on historical archaeology and slavery in the Southern United States. She has conducted field work at many sites, including the home of Andrew Jackson in Nashville, Tennessee; Rich Neck Plantation in Williamsburg, Virginia; The Abiel Smith School in Boston, Mass; and the W. E. B. DuBois Homesite in Great Barrington, Mass. Her latest research is on the Millars Plantation on the island of Eleuthera, in the Bahamas. She is the author of, Black Feminist Archaeology, published in 2011 by Left Coast Press.
Areas of Research
historical archaeology, black feminist theory, critical heritage studies
Publications
Battle-Baptiste, W. Black Feminist Archaeology. Left Coast Press, 2011.
Battle-Baptiste, W. “‘In this here place’: Interpreting Enslaved Homeplaces,” In Archaeology of Atlantic Africa and the African Diaspora, Akin Ogundiran and Toyin Falola, pgs. 233-248, Indiana University Press, 2007.
Battle-Baptiste, W., “An Archaeologist Finds her Voice: A Commentary on Colonial and Postcolonial Identities,” In World Archaeological Congress Handbook on Postcolonialism and Archaeology, Uzma Rizvi and Jane Lydon, pgs. 387-391, Left Coast Press, 2010.
Battle-Baptiste, W., “Sweepin’ Spirits: Power and Transformation on the Plantation Landscape, ” In Archaeology and Preservation of Gendered Landscapes, Sherene Baugher and Suzanne M. Spencer-Wood, pgs. 81-94, Springer Press, 2010.
Battle-Baptiste, W., “The ‘Other from Within’: A Commentary,” In Past Meets Present: Archaeologists Partnering with Museum Curators, Teachers, and Community Groups, John Jameson and Sherene Baugher, pgs. 101-106, Springer Press, 2007.
Battle-Baptiste, W., “Global Conversations: New Directions and Dialogues in African Diaspora Studies,” MUSEUM International, vol. 62(1/2):26-30, 2007.