A question of balance: A multi-method zooarchaeological study of food and identity (re)creation in migrant communities in late 19th to early 20th century Queensland

Abstract

Zooarchaeological evidence from historical sites in Queensland has received relatively little study. Further, most publications that discuss faunal remains from broader Australian historical sites focus on Anglo-Australian contexts and typically overlook considerations of how sociocultural identity interacts with food choice, favouring instead economic interpretations of food choice and consumption.

This presentation will provide an overview of a recently completed PhD project comparing zooarchaeological evidence from Chinese and British settlement contexts at two Late 19th/Early 20th century sites in Queensland: Frog’s Hollow, an urban context in Brisbane’s modern CBD, and Ravenswood, a gold mining town in North Queensland. Through an exploration of human-animal relationships in 19^th century southern China, colonial Australia, and the British Isles, it will be argued that despite both British and Chinese settlers adapting their food practices to this ‘new’ environment (i.e. ‘localisation’), both groups were actively seeking and consuming culturally significant and ‘familiar’ foods. Furthermore, while dietary choices regarding meat and marine resources reflect many aspects of their personal and cultural histories, local social and business relationships are also evident in the faunal evidence.

About the Presenter

Marc Cheeseman

Marc is a historical zooarchaeologist and PhD student at UQ (finished!) interested in the links between European colonialism and human-animal relationships. His recent PhD thesis focused on the cultural meaning of food and the performance of identity through food in migrant contexts. His research interests also include reframing pseudoarchaeology as an educational tool - let's talk about Atlantis!