ABSTRACT
Beginning with the contemporary migrant crises, this chapter uses archaeological thinking to reconsider movement in the past, present, and future. It asks why certain forms of human movement are celebrated while others are condemned, feared, and even hated. It draws upon a range of case studies, including missions in Vanuatu, Vikings in the Atlantic, and Neolithic transitions in Europe. It engages heavily with Jason De León’s (2015) research along the US-Mexico border, focusing specifically on the non-human things that migrants bring with them when attempting to cross the Sonoran Desert. As De León’s work shows, these things, including black water bottles and dark-colored clothing, often hinder attempted crossings. The chapter thinks through this research with explicit reference to assemblage theory and to posthumanist critiques of humanist “Man.” Altogether, these archaeological patterns and theoretical concepts provide crucial new ways of thinking about why some people are allowed to move freely while others are not, highlighting the crucial roles that non-humans play in these processes.
