James Davidson

About

James Davidson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida. His research interests include historical archaeology focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries, the African diaspora, mortuary studies, and folk beliefs. He has contributed to the understanding of cultural practices and spiritual symbolism through his archaeological investigations and publications. Davidson's work often explores themes related to African spirituality, mortuary variability, and the interpretation of artifacts within historical contexts. His scholarly contributions include numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, where he examines topics such as animal sacrifice, supernatural objects, and the African origins of grave vaulting in the United States. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin, earned in 2004, along with a master's degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Davidson is actively involved in research, teaching, and mentoring within the field of archaeology and anthropology.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Political Science
• History
• Archaeology
• Art
• Geography
• Ethnology
• Law
• Anthropology
• Biology

Selected publications

• Deconstructing the Myth of the “Hand Charm”: Mundane Clothing Fasteners and Their Curious Transformations into Supernatural Objects

  Historical Archaeology · 2014-06-01 · 17 citations

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• “A Cluster of Sacred Symbols”: Interpreting an Act of Animal Sacrifice at Kingsley Plantation, Fort George Island, Florida (1814–39)

  International Journal of Historical Archaeology · 2015-01-12 · 13 citations

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• New Perspectives from Old Collections

  Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage · 2012-09-01 · 13 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  AbstractCharles Fairbanks advanced the field of plantation archaeology in 1968 in his pioneering excavation in the cabins of enslaved laborers at Kingsley Plantation, Florida, with a focus on identifying "Africanisms." Failing to recognize elements of African cultures, Fairbanks and his students moved to St. Simons Island, the Couper Plantation and Cannon's Point site, and focused instead upon socio-economic status patterns. Other archaeologists would later make the case for material evidence of…

  PublisherDOI

• “They Laid Planks ‘Crost the Coffins”: The African Origin of Grave Vaulting in the United States

  International Journal of Historical Archaeology · 2012-02-16 · 12 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
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• Black and White Beads in the African Diaspora

  Historical Archaeology · 2020 · 11 citations

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Frequent coauthors

• P. Suresh C. Rao

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  19 shared

• D.M. Sheppard

  Monash University

  17 shared

• R. E. Jessup

  University of California, San Diego

  11 shared

• T. C. Keisling

  University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

  9 shared

• D. R. Nielsen

  9 shared

• Robert Morrison

  9 shared

• David L. Weeks

  Elmhurst Hospital Center

  9 shared

• J. W. Biggar

  University of California, Davis

  9 shared

Similar researchers at University of Florida

• Jeff Johnsonh-98
• Christopher McCartyh-40
• McCarty, Christopherh-40