Detroit Remains

Krysta Ryzewski is associate professor of anthropology at Wayne State University. She is coauthor of An Archaeological History of Montserrat in the West Indies and coeditor of Contemporary Archaeology and the City: Creativity, Ruination, and Political Action.

“In this timely book, Ryzewski carefully and sensitively presents the story of one of America’s most iconic and culturally significant cities, using six special places as points of entry. Ryzewski reveals that Detroit, though much maligned by outsiders, has a glorious and infinitely complex history, one that rewards archaeologists with rich stories and essential lessons. Every urban archaeologist and historian should digest this required reading, ponder its profound significance, and emulate it.”- Charles E. Orser Jr., author of Historical Archaeology;“Detroit Remains provides an interesting example of contemporary archaeology that is rooted in community partnerships and local place-based heritage, which in Detroit’s case are often heritage narratives that resist the city’s own urban development fantasies.”- Paul Mullins, author of Revolting Things: The Archaeology of Shameful Things and Repulsive Realities;“Detroit Remains is a compelling example of the future of archaeology that ranges between past and present, engaging written, oral, and material sources in telling the stories of a living Detroit. Set in a city that at times seems dystopian, Ryzewski and her collaborators confront the lives of those who have been both the victims and benefactors of industrial capitalism’s boom and bust cycles to say nothing of systemic racism. Through such noteworthy addresses as the Blue Bird Inn, Little Harry speakeasy, Gordon Park, and Grande Ballroom, the reader is given a tour of an urban landscape replete with memories that refuse to be silenced. To even conceive of a ‘jazz archaeology’ is worthy enough, but to do so as part of a much richer story that only archaeology can tell is to see the discipline’s future squarely in focus. Truly a joy to read.”- Stephen A. Mrozowski, author of The Archaeology of Class in Urban America;“Detroit Remains is a book that Detroit deserves and archaeology needs. The book effectively demonstrates that even sites from the relatively recent past can be uniquely and significantly understood through the inherent interdisciplinarity of Historical Archaeology.”- Jane Eva Baxter, author of The Archaeology of American Childhood and Adolescence.