Ben Carter
@archaeoscape.bsky.social
Archaeologist. Open. Community/ Public. Digital. GIS. LiDAR. Landscape. Small scale + non-hierarchical. Andes, Ecuador, Maine, Pennsylvania. Studying the construction of landscapes of resistance... Maine-iac. Views are my own (not my employers).
Reposted by Ben Carter
When I got the contract to write a history of concentration camps in 2014, I hoped to keep the US from ending up here. That didn't work out! But now it's critical to understand how much is already in process and the enormity of what's coming. The sooner we act to stop it, the more people we'll save.
Building the camps
The warehouseification of detention and initial thoughts on stopping it.
degenerateart.beehiiv.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:24 AM
When I got the contract to write a history of concentration camps in 2014, I hoped to keep the US from ending up here. That didn't work out! But now it's critical to understand how much is already in process and the enormity of what's coming. The sooner we act to stop it, the more people we'll save.
Reposted by Ben Carter
This is the second time an ICE employee has been arrested in in a Bloomington, MN underage sex trafficking sting www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
Police in Bloomington, MN just announced that one of the guys they arrested in an underage sex trafficking sting was a **background checker for ICE agents.**
He had a high security clearance in the Trump administration... and he was caught trying to abuse children. Sickening.
He had a high security clearance in the Trump administration... and he was caught trying to abuse children. Sickening.
February 10, 2026 at 9:26 PM
This is the second time an ICE employee has been arrested in in a Bloomington, MN underage sex trafficking sting www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
Reposted by Ben Carter
Reposted by Ben Carter
“This service is very obviously not about finding your lost dog.”
February 10, 2026 at 8:52 PM
“This service is very obviously not about finding your lost dog.”
Reposted by Ben Carter
Are you an archaeologist or heritage professional concerned with the increasing use of pseudoarchaeology to erode faith in expert opinion, rewrite history, or prop up supremacist ideologies?
This Call for Papers is for you!
Join us at the @can-arch.bsky.social 2026 conference!
Link in the reply.
This Call for Papers is for you!
Join us at the @can-arch.bsky.social 2026 conference!
Link in the reply.
February 10, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Are you an archaeologist or heritage professional concerned with the increasing use of pseudoarchaeology to erode faith in expert opinion, rewrite history, or prop up supremacist ideologies?
This Call for Papers is for you!
Join us at the @can-arch.bsky.social 2026 conference!
Link in the reply.
This Call for Papers is for you!
Join us at the @can-arch.bsky.social 2026 conference!
Link in the reply.
Oooo... I'm going to try this... Some day.
When I have spare time.
Sigh.
When I have spare time.
Sigh.
“Please enjoy the museum”:
Relooted is OUT NOW!
Please share!
Relooted is OUT NOW!
Please share!
February 10, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Oooo... I'm going to try this... Some day.
When I have spare time.
Sigh.
When I have spare time.
Sigh.
Reposted by Ben Carter
“Please enjoy the museum”:
Relooted is OUT NOW!
Please share!
Relooted is OUT NOW!
Please share!
February 10, 2026 at 3:02 PM
“Please enjoy the museum”:
Relooted is OUT NOW!
Please share!
Relooted is OUT NOW!
Please share!
Reposted by Ben Carter
Afrofuturist heist game Relooted is now available!
It is a South African game where you reclaim real African artifacts from Western museums, as the end of the 21st century approaches.
It's a subject that has fascinated me for a long time, so it's nice to cover it in a video game.👌
It is a South African game where you reclaim real African artifacts from Western museums, as the end of the 21st century approaches.
It's a subject that has fascinated me for a long time, so it's nice to cover it in a video game.👌
February 10, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Afrofuturist heist game Relooted is now available!
It is a South African game where you reclaim real African artifacts from Western museums, as the end of the 21st century approaches.
It's a subject that has fascinated me for a long time, so it's nice to cover it in a video game.👌
It is a South African game where you reclaim real African artifacts from Western museums, as the end of the 21st century approaches.
It's a subject that has fascinated me for a long time, so it's nice to cover it in a video game.👌
Reposted by Ben Carter
I made the potential mistake of organizing my social and political philosophy class as a deep dive into white supremacy as a social and political system and I have NEVER been more exhausted.
February 10, 2026 at 7:02 PM
I made the potential mistake of organizing my social and political philosophy class as a deep dive into white supremacy as a social and political system and I have NEVER been more exhausted.
Reposted by Ben Carter
Shout-out to all my colleagues who are also teaching about lynching, Reconstruction, and the 14th amendment right now. Give yourself space, it's hard, essential work.
February 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Shout-out to all my colleagues who are also teaching about lynching, Reconstruction, and the 14th amendment right now. Give yourself space, it's hard, essential work.
Reposted by Ben Carter
It's a hell of an appointment to make with grief, anger, and indignation, over and over again, in front of people and in conversation with people you see on a schedule
February 10, 2026 at 7:44 PM
It's a hell of an appointment to make with grief, anger, and indignation, over and over again, in front of people and in conversation with people you see on a schedule
Reposted by Ben Carter
Quick question for archaeological pals: has anyone got a spare copy of Kitty Hauser’s, Shadow Sites that they’d be willing to lend, or sell to me please? 🤞🙂
February 10, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Quick question for archaeological pals: has anyone got a spare copy of Kitty Hauser’s, Shadow Sites that they’d be willing to lend, or sell to me please? 🤞🙂
Reposted by Ben Carter
As someone who has co-written two National Historic Landmarks, I know just how much work goes into getting these important sites designated (even more so for monuments). I keep thinking about the group of scholars who must have dedicated so much time to this, only to have it made meaningless.
“This is a deliberate act of erasure . . . The Pride Flag is history, resistance, and Pride born at Stonewall itself. Taking it down does not diminish our community. It exposes an administration afraid of visibility and truth."
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ 🍎
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ 🍎
Trump administration removes Rainbow Flag from Stonewall National Monument
The Trump administration removed a large Rainbow Flag from a flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument, the National Park Service confirmed to Gay City News
gaycitynews.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:38 PM
As someone who has co-written two National Historic Landmarks, I know just how much work goes into getting these important sites designated (even more so for monuments). I keep thinking about the group of scholars who must have dedicated so much time to this, only to have it made meaningless.
Reposted by Ben Carter
Western-style forest fires have come to the east. "There were 77,850 US wildfires in 2025, and nearly half—49%—ignited east of the Mississippi... Over the past 40 years, the [east and southeast have] seen a 10-fold jump in the frequency of large burns." Nice piece by @jeva.bsky.social
The U.S. Fire Map Is Changing — And These Researchers Want to Get Ahead of It
Wildfires are moving east.
heatmap.news
February 10, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Western-style forest fires have come to the east. "There were 77,850 US wildfires in 2025, and nearly half—49%—ignited east of the Mississippi... Over the past 40 years, the [east and southeast have] seen a 10-fold jump in the frequency of large burns." Nice piece by @jeva.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben Carter
A White Paper commissioned by the #ICMCHC on "Intangible Cultural Heritage, Diverse Knowledge Systems and Climate Change found "the two key dimensions which support the viability and success of collaborations between knowledge systems are fullness and justice"
🔗https://www.cultureclimatemeeting.org/
🔗https://www.cultureclimatemeeting.org/
February 10, 2026 at 4:36 PM
A White Paper commissioned by the #ICMCHC on "Intangible Cultural Heritage, Diverse Knowledge Systems and Climate Change found "the two key dimensions which support the viability and success of collaborations between knowledge systems are fullness and justice"
🔗https://www.cultureclimatemeeting.org/
🔗https://www.cultureclimatemeeting.org/
Reposted by Ben Carter
BREAKING: ICE killed a Minnesota woman in broad daylight & there must be accountability.
But when I moved to subpoena all records & footage related to this murder, Republicans voted it down.
They've never cared about law & order or keeping our communities safe.
But when I moved to subpoena all records & footage related to this murder, Republicans voted it down.
They've never cared about law & order or keeping our communities safe.
January 8, 2026 at 12:23 AM
BREAKING: ICE killed a Minnesota woman in broad daylight & there must be accountability.
But when I moved to subpoena all records & footage related to this murder, Republicans voted it down.
They've never cared about law & order or keeping our communities safe.
But when I moved to subpoena all records & footage related to this murder, Republicans voted it down.
They've never cared about law & order or keeping our communities safe.
Reposted by Ben Carter
In her latest column, @bakerdphd.bsky.social looks at the history of AAU regarding campus free speech. If they took a stance on many key issues today, some status-obsessed public universities would face very difficult membership decisions.
How Elite Colleges Aided Censorship During the Red Scares
Powerful organizations during the Red Scares crafted a world where “academic freedom” was conditional on political allegiance.
www.insidehighered.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:05 AM
In her latest column, @bakerdphd.bsky.social looks at the history of AAU regarding campus free speech. If they took a stance on many key issues today, some status-obsessed public universities would face very difficult membership decisions.
Reposted by Ben Carter
They have now removed the Pride flag from the Stonewall Inn.
Erasure. Just like the Nazis.
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
Erasure. Just like the Nazis.
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
Trump administration removes Rainbow Flag from Stonewall National Monument
The Trump administration removed a large Rainbow Flag from a flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument, the National Park Service confirmed to Gay City News
gaycitynews.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:12 AM
They have now removed the Pride flag from the Stonewall Inn.
Erasure. Just like the Nazis.
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
Erasure. Just like the Nazis.
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
Reposted by Ben Carter
That is truly an extreme amount of rain.
For context, which year is the year marked in red here, which had similar extreme rainfall in a short amount of time, but in late December (but arguably far less)?
For context, which year is the year marked in red here, which had similar extreme rainfall in a short amount of time, but in late December (but arguably far less)?
February 9, 2026 at 5:13 PM
That is truly an extreme amount of rain.
For context, which year is the year marked in red here, which had similar extreme rainfall in a short amount of time, but in late December (but arguably far less)?
For context, which year is the year marked in red here, which had similar extreme rainfall in a short amount of time, but in late December (but arguably far less)?
Reposted by Ben Carter
I put on my bio anth hat to co-write this piece with @nicolanese.bsky.social, our excellent health editor at Live Science. 🧪🏳️⚧️
'There's no reason to ban us from playing': Analysis debunks notion that transgender women have inherent physical advantages in sports
A meta-analysis of 52 studies that included over 5,000 transgender people suggests that transgender women's physical fitness after hormone therapy is comparable to that of cisgender women.
www.livescience.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:44 PM
I put on my bio anth hat to co-write this piece with @nicolanese.bsky.social, our excellent health editor at Live Science. 🧪🏳️⚧️
Reposted by Ben Carter
Bad Bunny understood the assignment…
February 9, 2026 at 3:05 AM
Bad Bunny understood the assignment…
Reposted by Ben Carter
Exit polls show socialist Antonio Jose Seguro has crushed the Far Right candidate Andre Ventura in Portugal’s presidential runoff.
February 8, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Exit polls show socialist Antonio Jose Seguro has crushed the Far Right candidate Andre Ventura in Portugal’s presidential runoff.
Reposted by Ben Carter
Repeat endlessly: A liberal arts degree requires a breadth of study across the humanities, nat sci, social sci. plus skills like writing, quant reasoning. Only half (ish) of the degree is the major. So GREAT prep for a creative, productive, adaptable life.
thedispatch.com/article/libe...
thedispatch.com/article/libe...
Why I Don’t Regret Majoring in the Humanities
Literature, it turns out, is a great teacher of humility.
thedispatch.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Repeat endlessly: A liberal arts degree requires a breadth of study across the humanities, nat sci, social sci. plus skills like writing, quant reasoning. Only half (ish) of the degree is the major. So GREAT prep for a creative, productive, adaptable life.
thedispatch.com/article/libe...
thedispatch.com/article/libe...
Reposted by Ben Carter
👀 What if I told you there was a hidden art gallery scattered across the country?
What if I told you some of its treasures had vanished?
What if I told you that I found them?
A project three years in the making (🎁 gift link):
What if I told you some of its treasures had vanished?
What if I told you that I found them?
A project three years in the making (🎁 gift link):
The disappearing art gallery in your post office
The U.S. Postal Service is home to thousands of historic works of art in post offices nationwide. Hundreds have been lost, sold or destroyed.
wapo.st
February 8, 2026 at 2:08 PM
👀 What if I told you there was a hidden art gallery scattered across the country?
What if I told you some of its treasures had vanished?
What if I told you that I found them?
A project three years in the making (🎁 gift link):
What if I told you some of its treasures had vanished?
What if I told you that I found them?
A project three years in the making (🎁 gift link):
Reposted by Ben Carter
FAMU can't use the word Black on anything posted around campus related to Black History Month, to stay in compliance with Florida state laws against DEI. Black students can't use the word Black at their Historically Black College during Black History Month.
February 8, 2026 at 2:28 PM
FAMU can't use the word Black on anything posted around campus related to Black History Month, to stay in compliance with Florida state laws against DEI. Black students can't use the word Black at their Historically Black College during Black History Month.