Sarah Cowie
Sarah E. Cowie
Associate Professor, Anthropology, University of Nevada-Reno, USA
Ph.D. (2008) University of Arizona
Specializations and Research Interests
Historical archaeology of the American West and Southeast, social theory, power relations, structure and agency, landscapes, archaeology of working communities, industrial archaeology, cultural resource management (CRM), decolonizing methods and collaborative archaeology.
Ongoing Research
• Historical and industrial archaeology in Virginia City, Nevada.
• Collaborative archaeology; developing recommendations for improved tribal-federal relations regarding heritage consultation.
• Publishing previous field projects from the southeastern U.S. on industrial archaeology of water-powered grist mills, and indigenous historical archaeology.
Teaching
• ANTH 202 Archaeology
• ANTH 442a/642a Historical Archaeology
• ANTH 442b/642b Industrial Archaeology
• ANTH705 Graduate Seminar in Archaeology and Prehistory
Selected External Awards
• 2012 Historic Preservation Fund, National Park Service, as administered by the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. Early Virginia City: Archaeology of Religion, Institution, and Industry.
• 2011 Survey of Early Sites Associated with Virginia City, Nevada (Comstock Archaeology). Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. Sarah Cowie (Principle Investigator) and Steven Holm (Field Director).
• 2011 Proposal development grant, Army Research Office/Applied Research Associates. To support a Study of Tribal-Federal Relations Regarding Heritage Management, in Preparation for YIP Proposal Development.
• 2009 Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowship, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Eight-month fellowship to support writing of a book manuscript.
• 2003 Dissertation Research Award. Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. To support research and writing on Fayette, Michigan.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
• Cowie, Sarah E. (2011) The Plurality of Power: An Archaeology of Industrial Capitalism. New York: Springer.
• Cowie, Sarah E., Christopher C. LeBlanc, Mary M. Farrell, and Nicholas C. Laluk (2008) Multivocality in the Forest: A New Approach to Tribal Relations on the Coronado National Forest, Arizona. Arizona Anthropologist 19:1-16.
• Faulker, Charles T., Sarah E. Cowie, Patrick E. Martin, C. Shane Mayes, and Sharon Patton (2000) Archaeological Evidence of Parasitic Infection from the 19th Century Company Town of Fayette, Michigan. Journal of Parasitology 86(4): 846-849.
Book reviews
• 2009 Book review of Archaeology as Political Action, by Randall H. McGuire. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2008. Historical Archaeology 43(4):142-143.
• 2008 Book review of The Archaeology of Collective Action, by Dean J. Saitta. University Press of Florida, Gainsville, 2007. Historical Archaeology 42 (2):202-203.
• 2003 Book review of Feasts: Archaeological and Ethnographic Perspectives on Food, Politics, and Power, edited by Michael Dietler and Brian Hayden. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 2001. Historical Archaeology 37(4):121-2.
• 1998 Book review of Culture Change and the New Technology: An Archaeology of the New Industrial Era, by Paul A. Shackel. Plenium Press New York; 1996. Historical Archaeology, 32(2).
• 1995 Book Review of the three volume set of archaeological investigations at Harpers Ferry, West VA, National Park Service. Edited by Paul Shackel and Jill Halchin. Journal for the Society of Industrial Archaeology, 21(2).
Selected Technical Reports and Monographs
• 2005 (Sarah E. Cowie, Laura S. Bergstresser, Nancy E. Pearson, and Susan J. Wells) Guidelines for Archeological Recording and Evaluation of Abandoned Mining Properties. Publications in Anthropology 89. Western Archeological and Conservation Center, National Park Service, Tucson, Arizona. 240 pp.
• 2001 Early Nineteenth Century Evidence of the Creek Square Ground Plan: Phase II Archaeological Testing and Limited Phase III Data Recovery of the Ochillee Creek Site. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 135 pp. + appendices.
• 2000 Early Settlement and Industry in Georgia and Alabama: Phase II Testing at Five Historic Sites on Fort Benning, Georgia. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 179 pp. + appendices.
• 2000 (Sarah E. Cowie, Rita Folse Elliott, and Debra J. Wells) A Reconnaissance Survey of Selected Historic House Sites in the Lower Valley, Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, Inc., Pine Mountain, Georgia. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 113 pp. + appendices.
• 1999 (Sarah E. Cowie, Rita Folse Elliott and George Price) An Archaeological Survey of the Augusta Canal Headgates Area, Columbia County, Georgia. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 61 pp. + appendices.
• 1999 (Sarah E. Cowie Rita Folse Elliott, and George Price) Archaeological Survey and Testing of the Bartram Trail Tract, Columbia County, Georgia. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 104 pp. + appendices.
• 1999 An Archaeological Survey for the Proposed O
Associate Professor, Anthropology, University of Nevada-Reno, USA
Ph.D. (2008) University of Arizona
Specializations and Research Interests
Historical archaeology of the American West and Southeast, social theory, power relations, structure and agency, landscapes, archaeology of working communities, industrial archaeology, cultural resource management (CRM), decolonizing methods and collaborative archaeology.
Ongoing Research
• Historical and industrial archaeology in Virginia City, Nevada.
• Collaborative archaeology; developing recommendations for improved tribal-federal relations regarding heritage consultation.
• Publishing previous field projects from the southeastern U.S. on industrial archaeology of water-powered grist mills, and indigenous historical archaeology.
Teaching
• ANTH 202 Archaeology
• ANTH 442a/642a Historical Archaeology
• ANTH 442b/642b Industrial Archaeology
• ANTH705 Graduate Seminar in Archaeology and Prehistory
Selected External Awards
• 2012 Historic Preservation Fund, National Park Service, as administered by the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. Early Virginia City: Archaeology of Religion, Institution, and Industry.
• 2011 Survey of Early Sites Associated with Virginia City, Nevada (Comstock Archaeology). Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. Sarah Cowie (Principle Investigator) and Steven Holm (Field Director).
• 2011 Proposal development grant, Army Research Office/Applied Research Associates. To support a Study of Tribal-Federal Relations Regarding Heritage Management, in Preparation for YIP Proposal Development.
• 2009 Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowship, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Eight-month fellowship to support writing of a book manuscript.
• 2003 Dissertation Research Award. Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. To support research and writing on Fayette, Michigan.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
• Cowie, Sarah E. (2011) The Plurality of Power: An Archaeology of Industrial Capitalism. New York: Springer.
• Cowie, Sarah E., Christopher C. LeBlanc, Mary M. Farrell, and Nicholas C. Laluk (2008) Multivocality in the Forest: A New Approach to Tribal Relations on the Coronado National Forest, Arizona. Arizona Anthropologist 19:1-16.
• Faulker, Charles T., Sarah E. Cowie, Patrick E. Martin, C. Shane Mayes, and Sharon Patton (2000) Archaeological Evidence of Parasitic Infection from the 19th Century Company Town of Fayette, Michigan. Journal of Parasitology 86(4): 846-849.
Book reviews
• 2009 Book review of Archaeology as Political Action, by Randall H. McGuire. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2008. Historical Archaeology 43(4):142-143.
• 2008 Book review of The Archaeology of Collective Action, by Dean J. Saitta. University Press of Florida, Gainsville, 2007. Historical Archaeology 42 (2):202-203.
• 2003 Book review of Feasts: Archaeological and Ethnographic Perspectives on Food, Politics, and Power, edited by Michael Dietler and Brian Hayden. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 2001. Historical Archaeology 37(4):121-2.
• 1998 Book review of Culture Change and the New Technology: An Archaeology of the New Industrial Era, by Paul A. Shackel. Plenium Press New York; 1996. Historical Archaeology, 32(2).
• 1995 Book Review of the three volume set of archaeological investigations at Harpers Ferry, West VA, National Park Service. Edited by Paul Shackel and Jill Halchin. Journal for the Society of Industrial Archaeology, 21(2).
Selected Technical Reports and Monographs
• 2005 (Sarah E. Cowie, Laura S. Bergstresser, Nancy E. Pearson, and Susan J. Wells) Guidelines for Archeological Recording and Evaluation of Abandoned Mining Properties. Publications in Anthropology 89. Western Archeological and Conservation Center, National Park Service, Tucson, Arizona. 240 pp.
• 2001 Early Nineteenth Century Evidence of the Creek Square Ground Plan: Phase II Archaeological Testing and Limited Phase III Data Recovery of the Ochillee Creek Site. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 135 pp. + appendices.
• 2000 Early Settlement and Industry in Georgia and Alabama: Phase II Testing at Five Historic Sites on Fort Benning, Georgia. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 179 pp. + appendices.
• 2000 (Sarah E. Cowie, Rita Folse Elliott, and Debra J. Wells) A Reconnaissance Survey of Selected Historic House Sites in the Lower Valley, Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, Inc., Pine Mountain, Georgia. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 113 pp. + appendices.
• 1999 (Sarah E. Cowie, Rita Folse Elliott and George Price) An Archaeological Survey of the Augusta Canal Headgates Area, Columbia County, Georgia. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 61 pp. + appendices.
• 1999 (Sarah E. Cowie Rita Folse Elliott, and George Price) Archaeological Survey and Testing of the Bartram Trail Tract, Columbia County, Georgia. Southern Research, Columbus, Georgia. 104 pp. + appendices.
• 1999 An Archaeological Survey for the Proposed O
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Winner of the 2019 Mark E. Mack Community Engagement Award from the Society for Historical Archaeology, the collaborative archaeology project at the former Stewart Indian School documents the archaeology and history of a heritage project at a boarding school for American Indian children in the Western United States. In Collaborative Archaeology at Stewart Indian School, the team’s collective efforts shed light on the children’s education, foodways, entertainment, health, and resilience in the face of the U.S. government’s attempt to forcibly assimilate Native populations at the turn of the twentieth century, as well as school life in later years after reforms.
This edited volume addresses the theory, methods, and outcomes of collaborative archaeology conducted at the Stewart Indian School site and is a genuine collective effort between archaeologists, former students of the school, and other tribal members. With more than twenty contributing authors from the University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada Indian Commission, Washoe Tribal Historic Preservation Office, and members of Washoe, Paiute, and Shoshone tribes, this rich case study is strongly influenced by previous work in collaborative and Indigenous archaeologies. It elaborates on those efforts by applying concepts of governmentality (legal instruments and practices that constrain and enable decisions, in this case, regarding the management of historical populations and modern heritage resources) as well as social capital (valued relations with others, in this case, between Native and non-Native stakeholders).
As told through the trials, errors, shared experiences, sobering memories, and stunning accomplishments of a group of students, archaeologists, and tribal members, this rare gem humanizes archaeological method and theory and bolsters collaborative archaeological research.
Reviews
This work documents the collaborative approach to doing archaeology at the Stewart Indian School near Carson City, Nevada. The research benefited from true collaboration between archaeologists, tribal members, and former students of the school.”
Joe Watkins, president of the Society for American Archaeology (2019-2021) and senior consultant at Archaeological and Cultural Education Consultants
Cowie and co-authors advance an engaging and inspiring new approach to method and theory in North American archaeology. Collaborative Archaeology at Stewart Indian School represents the epitome of thoughtful, community-engaged, culturally sensitive, and rigorous archaeological research and it breaks new ground in terms of advocating for—and adhering to—a collaborative ethic from day one to publication and at all steps in between.
Tsim Schneider, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz
The Plurality of Power: An Archaeology of Industrial Capitalism explores the subtle distribution of power within American industrial capitalism through a case study of a company town. Issues surrounding power and agency are explored in regard to three heuristic categories of power. In the first category, the company imposed a system of structural, class-based power that is most visible in hierarchical differences in pay and housing, as well as consumer behavior. A second category addresses disciplinary activities surrounding health and the human body, as observed in the built environment, medical artifacts, disposal patterns of industrial waste, incidence of intestinal parasites, and unequal access to healthcare. The third ensemble of power relations is heterarcical and entwined with non-economic capital (social, symbolic, and cultural). Individuals and groups drew upon different forms of capital to bolster social status and express identity both within and apart from the corporate hierarchy. The goal in combining these diverse ideas is to explore the plurality of power relationships in past industrial contexts and to assert their relevance in the anthropology of capitalism.
Papers
Winner of the 2019 Mark E. Mack Community Engagement Award from the Society for Historical Archaeology, the collaborative archaeology project at the former Stewart Indian School documents the archaeology and history of a heritage project at a boarding school for American Indian children in the Western United States. In Collaborative Archaeology at Stewart Indian School, the team’s collective efforts shed light on the children’s education, foodways, entertainment, health, and resilience in the face of the U.S. government’s attempt to forcibly assimilate Native populations at the turn of the twentieth century, as well as school life in later years after reforms.
This edited volume addresses the theory, methods, and outcomes of collaborative archaeology conducted at the Stewart Indian School site and is a genuine collective effort between archaeologists, former students of the school, and other tribal members. With more than twenty contributing authors from the University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada Indian Commission, Washoe Tribal Historic Preservation Office, and members of Washoe, Paiute, and Shoshone tribes, this rich case study is strongly influenced by previous work in collaborative and Indigenous archaeologies. It elaborates on those efforts by applying concepts of governmentality (legal instruments and practices that constrain and enable decisions, in this case, regarding the management of historical populations and modern heritage resources) as well as social capital (valued relations with others, in this case, between Native and non-Native stakeholders).
As told through the trials, errors, shared experiences, sobering memories, and stunning accomplishments of a group of students, archaeologists, and tribal members, this rare gem humanizes archaeological method and theory and bolsters collaborative archaeological research.
Reviews
This work documents the collaborative approach to doing archaeology at the Stewart Indian School near Carson City, Nevada. The research benefited from true collaboration between archaeologists, tribal members, and former students of the school.”
Joe Watkins, president of the Society for American Archaeology (2019-2021) and senior consultant at Archaeological and Cultural Education Consultants
Cowie and co-authors advance an engaging and inspiring new approach to method and theory in North American archaeology. Collaborative Archaeology at Stewart Indian School represents the epitome of thoughtful, community-engaged, culturally sensitive, and rigorous archaeological research and it breaks new ground in terms of advocating for—and adhering to—a collaborative ethic from day one to publication and at all steps in between.
Tsim Schneider, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz
The Plurality of Power: An Archaeology of Industrial Capitalism explores the subtle distribution of power within American industrial capitalism through a case study of a company town. Issues surrounding power and agency are explored in regard to three heuristic categories of power. In the first category, the company imposed a system of structural, class-based power that is most visible in hierarchical differences in pay and housing, as well as consumer behavior. A second category addresses disciplinary activities surrounding health and the human body, as observed in the built environment, medical artifacts, disposal patterns of industrial waste, incidence of intestinal parasites, and unequal access to healthcare. The third ensemble of power relations is heterarcical and entwined with non-economic capital (social, symbolic, and cultural). Individuals and groups drew upon different forms of capital to bolster social status and express identity both within and apart from the corporate hierarchy. The goal in combining these diverse ideas is to explore the plurality of power relationships in past industrial contexts and to assert their relevance in the anthropology of capitalism.