Tim,
This seems to be a case of an historian who has felt for some time that
someone is trespassing upon her legitimate research domain and, what's
more, an archaeologist is taking credit for earlier historical research
that she did. One can hardly expect footnotes in a news article, of course,
and never did Paul say in the article that he was the sole individual who
has looked at the census records or that he didn't consult secondary
sources. When I talk about French Colonial archaeology I draw upon
everything I've ever read on the history of France in North America as
background, but I don't interject the names of a dozen historians when
giving a oral presentation to the public or being interviewed by a
reporter.
That fact that her role in researching the site was not mentioned in the
article is hardly surprising for a campus paper reporting about a
university professor's current research. Paul also has several key
collaborators on the project team, none of whom was mentioned either, but
then they aren't on the Maryland faculty and probably would be of no
interest to the readers. Further, there is no reason I know of to believe
that, when the time comes for the archaeological research to be written up
formally, her work will not be cited or given credit where it is due.
Although I am certainly not aware of any objective facts in this matter,
her specific complaints revolving around allegations of plagiarism would
seem premature at best.
I am far more troubled by the more general charge that he is guilty of the
"usurpation of a black historic topic" and the suggestion that there is
nothing he could possibly learn about New Philadelphia or its people that
she has not already gleaned from her careful research into primary sources.
vergil
Timothy James
Scarlett To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask] cc: (bcc: Vergil Noble/MWAC/NPS)
> Subject: Fwd: [ArchTheoMeth] Plagarism or just a
Sent by: tempest in a teapot?
HISTORICAL
ARCHAEOLOGY
<[log in to unmask]
>
09/22/04 03:28 PM
AST
Please respond to
HISTORICAL
ARCHAEOLOGY
Mark Hall sent this link to the ArchTheoMeth list. I found the
implications of this discussion somewhat disturbing. I think everyone
on Histarch might read this with equal disquiet. In the first article,
Tom Howell (presumably a student reporter) discussed Paul Shackel's
research at New Philadelphia. In the second, which was presumably a
letter to the editor about that article, Juliet K. Walker takes issue
with Paul's work. Much in the letter confused me, since Dr. Walker's
comments seem to attribute several of Howell's phrases to Paul.
Indeed, I consider several of Paul's comments to be standard rhetorical
tools for archaeologists interacting with the popular media (i.e.
rediscovering). At the same time, Dr. Walker seems to have read Paul's
NSF proposal text. I'm not posting this to Histarch to embarrass Paul,
although I hope he might comment, but rather because I see such clear
parallels to my work with Mormon communities and so many other
situations we historical archaeologists regularly encounter.
Howell's first article:
http://www.inform.umd.edu/News/Diamondback/archives/2004/09/09/
news5.html
Dr. Walker's reply:
http://www.inform.umd.edu/News/Diamondback/archives/2004/09/14/
commentary6.html
With regards,
Tim Scarlett
Begin forwarded message:
> From: "mhall940" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: September 22, 2004 12:16:08 PM EDT
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [ArchTheoMeth] Plagarism or just a tempest in a teapot?
> Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Sep 14, 2004
> Juliet E. K. Walker
> Digging deep in search of truth
>
> In the Sept. 9 article "Digging down deep" on university
> archaeologist Paul Shackel, I was quite disturbed by the professor's
> claim that he is "rediscovering" a town and a black historical figure
> based on "research that began two years ago." What disturbed me is
> that Shackel's presentation, as an example of his research, is in
> actuality based on information readily available from primary
> sources, which provide this specific information and are cited in my
> carefully researched and documented book, Free Frank: A Black Pioneer
> on the Antebellum Frontier. Indeed, the book is based on my
> University of Chicago doctoral dissertation, "Free Frank and New
> Philadelphia: Slave and Freedman, Frontiersman and Town Founder,"
> under the direction of John Hope Franklin. Both book and dissertation
> include copies of primary source documents from archival holdings, as
> well as the original maps, New Philadelphia town plat, census
> information on the occupational distribution of the townspeople,
> their geographic origin and oral history sources from Free Frank's
> family members.
>
> rest at
> http://www.inform.umd.edu/News/Diamondback/archives/2004/09/14/comment
> ary6.html
>
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