Date of Graduation
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Anthropology
Advisor/Mentor
Carla Klehm
Committee Member
Linda Jones
Second Committee Member
Jessica Kowlaski
Third Committee Member
Jared Phillips
Abstract
Historical archaeology is traditionally defined as the study of remains from past cultures and societies that have supplemental historical evidence, usually in the form of written records, with the rough timeline covering 1500-present.[1] African American archaeology is a relatively new subfield in historical archaeology. The first archaeological investigations focused in African American life occurred in the 1960s by Charles H. Fairbanks, a historical archaeologist of the U.S. Southeast based at the University of Florida.[2] The sudden uptick in interest of plantation archaeology and African American archaeology during this time is likely attributed to the passage of historic preservation legislation in the 1960s that coincided with the Civil Rights Movement.[3]
In this thesis, I convey the interconnectedness between historical archaeology and cultural preservation and its impact in marginalized communities by looking at one specific subculture in the African American Diaspora: the Gullah/Geechee culture located on the east coast of the United States. From an archaeological perspective, there is an architectural structure of religious and cultural importance called the “praise house,” which will be the archaeological focus of this thesis. Historical archaeology plays a vital role in providing cultural context to African American history and the preservation of African American cultures, such as the Gullah/Geechee and the archaeology of praise houses. In the words of Dr. Jodi Barnes, an archaeologist based out of South Carolina, “Archaeology can also illuminate the lives of the invisible people of the past, such as those who were poor, illiterate, or socially, politically, or geographically remote from the literate and empowered social centers.”[4] The Gullah/Geechee are a perfect example of the “illumination of invisible people the past” using archaeology considering their location on the Sea Islands and their history of enslavement.[5]
Keywords
Gullah/Geechee; Praise Houses; Archaeology; Levi Jordan Plantation; St. Helena Island
Citation
Holden, L. C. (2026). Sacred Spaces in the African Diaspora: Archaeology of Praise Houses and the Cultural Preservation of the Gullah/Geechee. Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/anthuht/17
