Terrance Weik's volume is the latest addition to The American Experience in Archaeological Perspective series from the University Press of Florida. The archaeology of African Americans has long been central to Americanist historical archaeology. This particular title is reflective of the current research trend toward examining black communities within contexts they themselves defined, rather than through the examination of enslaved plantation communities. The archaeological contexts covered in this volume include those associated with the Underground Railroad, and self-liberated settlements, ranging from towns in the Mid-west United States through to palenques in Cuba. Weik presents the diversity of such sites and the ways in which archaeologists can contribute, and are contributing, to a topic which, by its very nature, may be difficult to study through documentary history.

As with the rest of this series, Weik's book is slim and intended as a broad survey rather than an in-depth examination of a single site or region. Sites discussed range from Brazil, Suriname, Mexico, and Caribbean sites, including Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, to widely dispersed sites through the United States and Canada. The inclusion of geographic diversity works well to highlight shared characteristics of anti-slavery resistance, particularly in terms of sites associated with Maroons.

The Archaeology of Antislavery Resistance summarizes research findings from a thorough survey of existing research. In covering these, Weik provides important discussions of methodological points for those researching Maroons and other contexts of covert action. He advocates landscape approaches and the application of geographical information systems to gain a greater understanding of Maroon sites, and highlights issues with often sparse remains of short-lived habitation, or hiding places within the Underground Railroad. Through comparison of varied sites, Weik is able to provide some important discussion of the challenges which may face archaeologists. Although in some ways we are well placed to find traces of covert activities that were hidden from the view of slaveholders or those who might compromise the freedom of self-liberated individuals, the very nature of these activities often leaves only ephemeral traces. In the case of Maroon sites, the issues are more straightforward: sites may be difficult to access. Rocky soil, short-term occupation, and small numbers of possessions may all make detailed contextual understandings of sites difficult, as is shown by work at Jose Leta, a mid-sixteenth-century self-liberated African community located in what is now the Dominican Republic (62). When discussing sites associated with the Underground Railroad, the compendium of material Weik is able to draw together shows the way that features – such as tunnels or potential hiding places – may be impossible to tie definitively to those hiding in their pursuit of freedom. The consequences for archaeologists may mean complex dialogues with local communities who value such ties, and want material validation concerning the oral histories surrounding the Underground Railroad that currently exist.

The main archaeological case study in the book is that of African Seminole settlements in nineteenth-century Florida. Through detailed historical background, Weik is able to thoroughly explore some of the complex situations in which self-liberated subjects found “freedom.” The very nature of freedom to individuals and communities who had gained freedom from slavery is one of the themes of Weik's discussions throughout the book. He cautions that the notion of freedom should not be easily conflated with that of (European) American philosophical traditions, but could have carried complex meanings for those in held in bondage, and those who were liberated. The lives of African Seminoles, who were sometimes in relations of bondage or subservience to indigenous Seminoles, shows how liberation from plantation slavery may have led to situations of freedom which were not synonymous with those we might usually associate with the “American experience.”

All in all, this book is an excellent contribution to a series with a closely defined aim. At times, there seemed ample scope for a greater attention to actual archaeological findings, but in many cases this lack reflected the sparse research and findings across the field as a whole. Whilst intended as a broad introduction, Weik also eloquently introduces important theoretical and methodological issues. His writing is accessible, and the book will be an excellent entry point for students and others without a broad knowledge of the topic.