Type of Document Master's Thesis Author Roby, John Author's Email Address john@prehensile.org URN etd-11142005-112944 Title The Past in the Present: Archaeology and Identity in a Historic African American Church Degree Master of Arts Department Anthropology and Geography Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title John Kantner Committee Chair Emanuela Guano Committee Member Kathryn A. Kozaitis Committee Member Keywords
- slavery
- critical hermeneutics
- African American
- identity
- archaeology
- anthropology
- cemetery
Date of Defense 2005-11-21 Availability unrestricted Abstract All across the world, people struggle daily to create and enhance their sense of identity.Such struggles are waged in many ways, including through the process of rediscovering and reinterpreting
history. Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, an African American congregation in a suburb of
Atlanta, is engaged in a search for its church cemetery, lost when the land was sold to the military
during the nation’s mobilization for World War II. The church’s efforts are analyzed in the
context of identity creation -- a search for links to a mythic and self-sufficient past.
Archaeological methods reveal compelling evidence that the cemetery lies in a location previously
unknown to the community. Through a collaborative process, the church community and the
investigator identify the possible cemetery location and develop plans to institute reforms that
are sustainable and agreeable to all parties.
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