Postdoctoral Fellowship: SPRF: Creating Persistent Histories through Community Archaeology

This award was provided as part of the NSF Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (SPRF) program. The goal of the SPRF program is to prepare promising, early career doctoral-level scientists for scientific careers in academia, industry or private sector, and government. SPRF awards involve two years of training under the sponsorship of established scientists and encourage Postdoctoral Fellows to perform independent research. NSF seeks to promote the participation of scientists from all segments of the scientific community, including those from underrepresented groups, in its research programs and activities; the postdoctoral period is considered to be an important level of professional development in attaining this goal. Each Postdoctoral Fellow must address important scientific questions that advance their respective disciplinary fields. Under the sponsorship of Dr. Christopher Wolff at the State University of New York Albany, this postdoctoral fellowship award supports an early career scientist examining persistent material practices at the Schenck Site (Fda 14) in the Mohawk River Valley during the initial colonization of eastern New York State. Using representative samples of material culture, the proposed research seeks to understand the historically and culturally contingent processes that led to the acquisition and use of certain objects and materials in colonial contexts. A major component of this research includes a three-week field course for six students to learn about research techniques in archaeology while contributing to scholarly advancements in the field. This project seeks to investigate how communities seized upon new opportunities to diversify their existing material assemblages while continuing to maintain elements of their traditional identity. It does this through three ordered objectives: 1) Survey and define the spatial and temporal parameters and internal features of the pre- and post-contact village components at the Schenck site (Fda 14) in Upstate New York; 2) Collect representative samples of material culture from both components to diachronically reconstruct material practices spanning before and after initial colonial contact; 3) Provide educational opportunities to six students related to research field techniques and career trajectories in archaeology. This work builds on previous studies of material engagements in colonial economies by approaching the adoption of colonial influences as part of a dynamic yet enduring cultural strategy. It works to extend these research findings beyond the traditional academic community by collaboratively incorporating descendant representatives into the planning, execution, and outcomes of the project at each ordered stage. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.