The historical archaeology of capitalist dispossession

Historical archaeology is defined as the study of capitalism, even though it has seldom confronted capitalism head on. A philosophy of internal relations provides powerful tools with which to confront capitalism. In this paper, I present a range of historical archaeological case studies to explore larger themes relevant to a philosophy of internal relations, including methodological implications, understanding capitalism's 'laws of motion', and their relevance for the dialectical integration of present, past and future. Historical archaeology can help in understanding capitalist dispossession: by fleshing out how capitalism has unfolded, humanising these processes, and emphasising how contested and contingent the history of capitalism was.