Overview

An archaeological study of African American foodways in nineteenth-century Annapolis Eating in the Side Room, Mark Warner uses the archaeological data of food remains recovered from excavations in Annapolis, Maryland, and the Chesapeake to show how African Americans established identity in the face of pervasive racism and marginalization. By studying the meat purchasing habits of two African American families—the Maynards and the Burgesses—Warner skillfully demonstrates that while African Americans were actively participating in a growing mass consumer society, their food choices subtly yet unequivocally separated them from white society. The ""side rooms"" where the two families ate their meals not only satisfied their hunger but also their need to maintain autonomy from an oppressive culture. As a result, Warner claims, the independence that African Americans practiced during this time helped prepare their children and grandchildren to overcome persistent challenges of white oppression. Publication of the paperback edition made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Full Product Details

9780813080031

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Reviews

A timeless publication and significant contribution to the discipline. --Historical Archaeology A timely and welcome addition to the literature on African American identity studies and to foodways more generally. . . . Mandatory reading for any courses concerned with the archaeology and anthropology of African Americans. --Northeast Historical Archaeology

Author Information

Mark S. Warner is professor of anthropology at the University of Idaho and coeditor of Annapolis Pasts: Historical Archaeology in Annapolis, Maryland.

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