An Archaeology of Institutional Confinement

‘This book carries with it the evocation of “Atmospheric Poison”, disregard for human dignity and insensitive treatment. But it also uses the rich archaeological record, and historical account, to see into a world of both licit and illicit private lives, of individuality, where inmates demonstrated compassion and organisational structure fostered it, where an authority figure resisted managerialism, where age diminished the governed and the governor. This represents a significant maturing of the intellectual framework deployed for understanding a site of buildings that served many functions, constantly shifting and adapting, but always filled to the brim with people.’ -- Deborah Oxley * Australian Historical Studies * ' ... the value of this monograph as a unique opportunity to discuss an institutional artefact assemblage closely linked to a group of defined people. It fulfils this role very well and provides an insight into the private world of an asylum.' -- Susan Piddock * Australian Archaeology * 'Drawing on an exceptional collection of archaeological materials recovered from the interior of the standing Barracks building, Davies et al. trace a narrative that details the operation of the asylum and extends into the intersecting lives of migrants and their keepers alike. The identities and experiences of this diverse population materialise in a collection of well-preserved artefacts — from fragments of large-print texts, carved bone sewing tools and children’s toys, to individually labelled dispensary bottles that corroborate the documentary record.' -- Linnea Kuglitsch * Post-Medieval Archaeology *