The Taphonomy of Disaster and the (Re)Formation of New Orleans

In: American anthropologist: AA, Band 108, Heft 4, S. 719-730

Abstract

Using observations from recent participation in post‐Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans, I make the case in this article that taphonomic processes such as trash removal, deposition, earthmoving, and demolition are a primary medium through which individuals and communities reconstitute themselves following a disaster. Taphonomy, or the formation of the archaeological record, does not simply reflect social processes, it is a social process. The taphonomic processes currently underway through the clean‐up and rebuilding efforts in New Orleans dramatically illustrate this point. I recommend that both ethnographers and archaeologists undertake a fine‐grained ethnoarchaeology of disaster. I engage with the literature of disaster to illustrate the potentials I see for this type of study, particularly as it pertains to the culture–nature nexus, perceptions of vulnerability, and the revelatory power of disasters.