Although archaeological studies of the historic past have long explored the dynamics of European colonialism, broader issues of sexuality, embodiment, commemoration, reproduction, and sensuality have only recently become acknowledged as essential components of the “imperial project.” How can we better appreciate the material implications of human sexuality when we come to interpret these complex colonial worlds? Ranging from anticipated and pleasurable, to strategic and even involuntary, these intimate encounters are not merely by-products of colonial projects but are fundamental structures of colonization. This volume offers a unique exploration of this sensitive topic by presenting a series of comparative and contrasting archaeological case studies on the multifaceted intersections of colonialism and sexuality.

Definitions and the Politics of Comparison

To appreciate the complexities of this thematic conjuncture, very broad definitions of the key subjects were adopted. Diverse forms of colonialism – loosely identified as the process of expansionist settlement and sociocultural replication adopted by various cultural groups through human (pre)history – were contrasted with practices of imperialism – which is more often understood as referring to centralized, appropriative, militaristic, and often violent projects of conquest and dispossession. Both colonialism and imperialism can be found in prehistoric and classical examples, as well as in the political, economic, and administrative expansion of Western nation-states over the Early Modern era.