TORONTO, ON, June 16, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As the academic community continues to confront the legacies of colonialism and systemic inequality, Dr. Lindsay Martel Montgomery, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Centre for Indigenous Studies at the University of Toronto, stands as a formidable voice for disciplinary reform. Her latest co-authored article, "Questions Worth Asking: Undisciplining Archaeology, Reclaiming Pasts for Better Futures," set to be published in American Antiquity, urges a fundamental reshaping of archaeological practice through a framework of reclamation, justice, and community empowerment.

The article, a collaborative effort by ten scholars working across North America, builds on a 2023 public-facing piece in SAPIENS and brings together junior and senior archaeologists who are reimagining archaeology not just as a science, but as a socially engaged and ethically accountable field. Through thematic dialogues, the contributors examine how archaeology can move beyond its extractive, colonial roots and become a tool for healing and empowerment among Black, Indigenous, and other historically marginalized communities.

A Forum Rooted in Urgency and Hope

The forthcoming article is the product of a rich intellectual dialogue that emerged from a 2022 symposium titled "Questions Worth Asking: Historical Archaeology and Calls for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Restitution." Participants in that forum examined the roles that reparations, restitution, and reconciliation play in archaeology today—and proposed a fourth "R": reclamation.

For Dr. Montgomery and her co-authors, reclamation means far more than surface-level inclusion. It is a long-term, anti-colonial process that demands the restructuring of institutions, methodologies, and ethics. In particular, the authors emphasize that reclamation must be led by Indigenous and descendant communities and must be grounded in their knowledge systems, histories, and sovereignty.

Unmasking the Colonial Foundations of Archaeology

A key argument advanced in the article is that archaeology in North America—especially historical archaeology—remains deeply entwined with white supremacy and settler colonialism. The authors describe how archaeology has too often functioned as a tool of state-sanctioned erasure, legitimizing the theft of land, destruction of sacred sites, and the silencing of non-Western narratives.

Drawing from critical race theory and anti-colonial philosophy, the article critiques the field's "epistemology of ignorance"—a willful failure to interrogate the racial logics embedded in archaeological knowledge production. This critique is not simply academic; it lays bare how dominant narratives have caused real harm to communities and how archaeologists must now make different choices if they hope to be agents of social change.

A Blueprint for Reclaiming the Discipline

Through case studies and community-grounded examples, the article illustrates what reclamation-centered archaeology looks like. Dr. Montgomery's work is cited as one such model. She collaborates with Indigenous communities in the American Southwest, including Picuris Pueblo in New Mexico, to co-create research agendas, respect cultural protocols, and ensure that data sovereignty remains in the hands of the people whose histories are at stake.

The authors emphasize that reclamation is not a one-size-fits-all solution but a methodological commitment to do archaeology with, for, and by communities. Whether working on mass graves in Tulsa, supporting the return of ancestral remains, or mapping Indigenous land use in New Mexico, the scholars involved argue that their work must begin with relationships, consent, and care.

Dr. Montgomery's Editorial Leadership

As one of the editorial voices shaping the article, Dr. Montgomery brings both her scholarly insight and her deep experience with Indigenous-centered archaeological research. Her contributions reflect a strong commitment to unearthing erased histories, challenging the narratives of absence that have dominated Western academia, and ensuring that archaeological findings are interpreted through lenses of survivance, resistance, and resurgence.

Dr. Montgomery has long been an advocate for transforming archaeological curricula and training. At the University of Toronto, she integrates anti-racist, decolonial, and community-based approaches into her teaching and mentoring, shaping the next generation of archaeologists to be critical, reflective, and ethically grounded.

Responding to the Present, Shaping the Future

The timing of the article's publication could not be more urgent. As political forces in both Canada and the United States attempt to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and as historical narratives continue to be contested and whitewashed, archaeologists must decide what role they want to play.

Dr. Montgomery and her colleagues argue that the discipline cannot remain neutral. Instead, they call for archaeologists to align their practice with the needs and rights of BIPOC communities. This includes fighting for heritage policies that center community voices, challenging disciplinary gatekeeping, and reimagining fieldwork as a space of healing, not harm.

A Discipline in Transition

Questions Worth Asking is not just a critique — it is a manifesto for the future of archaeology. The authors, including Dr. Montgomery, envision a field that no longer privileges Western ways of knowing but instead values braided knowledge systems, emotional intelligence, and political solidarity. Their vision is one where communities reclaim their histories on their own terms, with archaeologists acting as allies, not authorities.

Their framework for reclamation includes:

● Centering community-defined goals and protocols
● Practicing cultural humility and trauma-informed research
● Ensuring data sovereignty
● Undisciplining methodologies to be inclusive of non-Western epistemologies
● Creating institutional accountability for ongoing colonial harm

Dr. Montgomery's leadership in articulating these principles highlights her continued impact beyond the University of Toronto. She is helping set a new global standard—one where archaeology becomes a discipline of repair rather than rupture.

Looking Ahead: Material Change, Not Just Talk

With American Antiquity being one of the most respected journals in the field, the article's forthcoming publication marks a watershed moment for the discipline. It sends a clear message: the time for reflection has passed. The time for systemic change—in teaching, in fieldwork, in publishing, and in policy—is now.

As Dr. Montgomery herself notes, "Decolonization isn't just an abstract ideal. It requires real shifts in how we work, who we listen to, and what futures we make possible through our scholarship."

About Dr. Lindsay Martel Montgomery

Dr. Lindsay Martel Montgomery is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Centre for Indigenous Studies at the University of Toronto. Her research spans Indigenous archaeology, historical archaeology, and collaborative methodologies. She is recognized internationally for her community-based work with Tribal Nations and her scholarship on decolonizing archaeological practice. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from Stanford University and a B.A. in Human Rights & Anthropology from Barnard College.

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