{"title":"“Take Heede When Ye Wash”: Recognizing the Labor of Enslaved Laundresses on Southern Plantations","authors":"Karen E. McIlvoy","doi":"10.1080/21619441.2021.1908774","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Laundry represented a significant portion of the domestic labor on nineteenth century plantations. However, despite the ubiquity of their task, enslaved African American washerwomen have been neglected in the historical study of plantation labor. By situating archaeological interpretations of enslaved labor within the historical context of laundry, archaeologists can better incorporate this oft-overlooked chore into interpretations of female labor on Southern plantations. Using this technique, this article explores laundering at Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson’s retreat home and plantation in central Virginia.","PeriodicalId":37778,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage","volume":"11 1","pages":"130 - 155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2021-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21619441.2021.1908774","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21619441.2021.1908774","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Arts and Humanities","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
ABSTRACT Laundry represented a significant portion of the domestic labor on nineteenth century plantations. However, despite the ubiquity of their task, enslaved African American washerwomen have been neglected in the historical study of plantation labor. By situating archaeological interpretations of enslaved labor within the historical context of laundry, archaeologists can better incorporate this oft-overlooked chore into interpretations of female labor on Southern plantations. Using this technique, this article explores laundering at Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson’s retreat home and plantation in central Virginia.
期刊介绍:
Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage provides a focal point for peer-reviewed publications in interdisciplinary studies in archaeology, history, material culture, and heritage dynamics concerning African descendant populations and cultures across the globe. The Journal invites articles on broad topics, including the historical processes of culture, economics, gender, power, and racialization operating within and upon African descendant communities. We seek to engage scholarly, professional, and community perspectives on the social dynamics and historical legacies of African descendant cultures and communities worldwide. The Journal publishes research articles and essays that review developments in these interdisciplinary fields.