The Boomer Archaeologist

Forthcoming, July 2025

Archaeology is science and adventure rolled into one. The Boomer Archaeologist: A Graphic Memoir of Tribes, Identity and the Holy Landtraces the 20th century evolution of a field, known to the public mostly through Indiana Jones, into a 21st century state-of-the-art transdisciplinary research endeavor with global implications. A coming-of-age story beginning in the wild 1960s, the graphic memoir embodies the ‘American Dream’ where citizens can rise to the pinnacle of their chosen professions. The Boomer Archaeologist reflects on a career dedicated to understanding the evolution of social inequality and the importance of cultural identity both in the past and present. Boomer highlights how risk taking and ‘pushing the envelope’ can promote new directions in academic work, even in the context of changing and disappointing values in elite US research universities over the past 30 years.