In the shell of the old: un’ex-archeologa «radicale», archeologi anarchici e L’alba di tutto

Annalisa Coppolecchia

Abstract:

This paper aims to examine the reception of The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow within anarchist and para-academic archaeological contexts, focusing on the contrasting positions of Carolyn Nakamura and the Black Trowel Collective. Nakamura’s critical review challenges the book’s narrative strategies, arguing that selective use of archaeological data and its interpretative framing risk reproducing a new form of grand narrative. While acknowledging some of these concerns, the Black Trowel Collective embraces the work’s broader theoretical potential, interpreting it as a catalyst for rethinking archaeological discourse and practice, and expanding the scope of historical imagination. Through the analysis of key texts, including Archaeology in 2022: Counter-myths for hopeful futures and An Anarchist Archaeology of Equality, this paper highlights how anarchist archaeologists mobilize the concept of «myths» and elaborate «counter-myths» to contest dominant narratives about inequality, state formation, and human nature. This chapter argues that The Dawn of Everything contributes to a critical reorientation of archaeology by emphasizing human agency, the variety of social forms, and the contingency of existing power structures, ultimately fostering a more reflexive and politically engaged discipline.