#RESIST – Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG – North America) Conference

#RESIST

The Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) has long been a scholarly space for multi-modal, experimental, innovative, and activist-oriented archaeological thinking. TAG 2026, with the theme #RESIST, will take place on Lenape-hoking, the unceded lands of the Lenni Lenape in New York City, bringing together archaeologists and interdisciplinary thinkers to reflect upon historical and contemporary strategies for resistance to oppressive socio-political formations. Over three days, participants will engage with the material realities of struggle, exploring forms of solidarity past and present. Drawing from archaeology and related fields, the plenary and ensuing sessions will move beyond well-trodden analyses of domination and resistance to instead shine a light on the forces that cause(d) harm and the ways people and communities bear witness, manifest care, and engage in refusal. Such work engenders spaces for conceptual advances in the field, highlighting the complex relationships between things, humans, landscapes, soil, and non-human species. TAG builds community across generations of scholars, and prioritizes student participation through calls for student sessions, papers, reduced registration and housing, and lunches focused on career development. The conference reaches out beyond academia to engage with artists, archivists, cultural resource managers (CRM), and museum professionals.