Andy White Anthropology
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Goodbye South Carolina, Hello Illinois

6/6/2020

14 Comments

 
I have been very bad at making regular blog posts this spring. It's been pretty busy: on top of dealing with trying to somehow teach field school online due to the COVID-19 shutdown, we've been attempting to educate our kids at home, keep my wife's business afloat, and find time for me to finish up the excavations at 38FA608 by myself.  And then we decided to move. So now we're doing that, too.

I have accepted a position as a Research Archaeologist at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey starting in September. I'll write more about that after we get settled in Champaign-Urbana.

Deciding to leave South Carolina was neither simple nor easy. We've been here since the summer of 2015 and my wife and I have made significant personal and professional connections that we will miss. We love the kids' school, and it is a tough call to uproot them from everything that's familiar. 

There are a lot of things about this place that I enjoy and will miss. I have several good colleagues at SCIAA and have really enjoyed working with students in the classroom and at field school. The archaeology here is fantastic and has been very good to me, as have those that have helped me with that archaeology along the way. The winter weather is great. The diversity of bird, insect, and reptile life is beautiful, as are the various cultural and natural landscapes of the state. I will miss being able to take day trips to the beach. I will miss the Columbia art scene which helped me turn a pastime into an emotionally satisfying and economically rewarding pursuit. I will miss all the good people that I've met, talked with, and worked with here: there are a lot.

But there are also a lot of things that I won't be sad to leave behind. First among them is the ridiculous political culture of this state: often corrupt, often mean, and in my opinion a great disservice to many of the citizens of South Carolina. The legacy of white supremacy upon which this state was founded continues to weigh the state down: look up state rankings for education, domestic violence, violence against women, etc. South Carolina's position is directly related to its history and culture, and many of its citizens in positions of power don't seem to be in any big hurry to work toward improvement.  It appears to me, in fact, that the opposite is true. The conservative elements here would like to further roll back protections for those in our society that are already vulnerable: people of color, the poor, the LGBTQ community, etc.. That's a shame, and it's a real turn off to those of us that value diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I won't go into a long explanation of the various personal and professional factors that weighed into our decision. I will just say that this move includes opportunities that were never available to us here and will result in a situation that is better for our family in the long run. Packing up and moving sucks, but it's for the best. I look forward to writing about archaeology and other issues from my new location and with the perspective I have gained from living in the south for five years.
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14 Comments
Leland Ferguson link
6/6/2020 11:44:10 am

Disappointed that you and the family are leaving, Andy. I was looking forward to getting to know you better, to providing you with more junk, and to visiting the archaeological site. Remember we made a plan for me to come out near the end of the semester. I miss field archaeology and was even envious when I saw photos of your backfilling. I wish I could have helped. Best wishes to you -and yours in Illinois!

Reply
swati sharma link
10/22/2020 07:26:08 am

Heh! I get comments like that on my blog too, along with ones telling me how to improve readership, and various unrelated topics too. Fortunately my spam filter catches nearly all of them...

Reply
Hemanth Kadambi
6/6/2020 09:38:25 pm

Dear Andy,
First off, congrats on your position in Illinois. You'll be great where ever you decide to do archaeology. I only wish I had continued to be in Illinois to see your presence there. Second, I can well imagine your disappointment with the general political culture of S.C. It is hard to be in a place where one finds academic and intellectual satisfaction but not more. I dare say Illinois is much better with regards to political culture, but hopefully for Liz, the children, and you it will have a better experience.
My love and best wishes to the family.
Warmly, Hemanth

Reply
PeterKirchmeir
6/7/2020 07:00:28 am

Hi,
We wish you a happy transit and more success.

Reply
William Wood link
6/7/2020 06:05:17 pm

Welcome to the Midwest. You'll love our beef and yes, diversity - inclusion - respect.... Already told my dad as if you and I knew each other, but that's the point I'm making. Wishing you a productive and rewarding life for you and your family.

Reply
Ken Sassaman
6/8/2020 06:09:56 am

Sorry to see you leave SC Andy but I fully understand and I know you will thrive at the IAS. Best wishes for a smooth transition, continued success in science and art, and hope for a better tomorrow.

Reply
Timothy Pieper
6/9/2020 02:09:21 pm

Best wishes for your transition, wish I had the opportunity to work / learn for and from you now that I am working on and off at SCIAA. It was a pleasure being your student in Forbidden Archaeology, the course was especially enlightening and the way you kept me and the rest of the class engaged was top notch. Hope this traditional seafarers saying is not lost in translation, but fare winds and following seas during this next chapter in yours and your family's life. Not sure exactly what the IAS is entirely but they are lucky to have you. If by chance, the unedited / un-posted footage from my final class project is still around; could you either send it to me or even post it to your channel? I have people (mother, sister, girlfriend) that are still anticipating the day the video will see the light of day, even if it isn't in a public.forum, and it would be nice to see the results of my portion of the effort. Best of luck and I hope you and your family have a safe and happy transition. Keep up the good fight against pseudo archaeology!

Reply
Keith Tolen
6/11/2020 03:37:36 pm

Andy.....You are an awesome artist. I enjoyed meeting you and look forward to continuing to see more of your creative effort. God Bless You and your family.

Reply
PNO TECH
6/18/2020 05:27:44 pm

Great picture there. Slight tension visible in the knuckles, but nonetheless a straight-arm grip resolutely piloting the family into a mostly sunny if slightly unfocused future....
May the road rise to meet your feet—and every. single. one. of your boxes of books arrive safely.

-a faculty brat and survivor of a fair few uprootings

Reply
Anthony
8/20/2020 10:33:06 am

https://idialab.org/newark-earthworks-an-interactive-3d-simulation/

Just in case you are not already familiar with this.

Reply
Alice C. Linsley link
10/10/2020 10:29:13 am

Congratulations, Andy.

Reply
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10/19/2021 05:18:45 am

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Reply
Ginny link
12/14/2021 11:29:11 am

Belated welcome to Illinois! I am not sure that downstate IL is culturally distinct from SC, though. The Sweet Tea Line bisects the state at about Effingham (home of a distinctive roadside cross). South of there, I had to specify unsweetened iced tea in restaurants and there were a lot of aggressively Trumpy signs and flags, but the college towns are safe havens.

I’m looking forward to reading whatever you manage to blog In These Trying Times. Put me down for “archaeology of the Midwest” and “wacky pseudoscience debunkery.”

Reply
Thomas Shaw link
10/27/2022 08:18:45 pm

Not brother tax physical. Add happen pass loss ground sort deal. Camera personal billion party baby either beat.

Reply



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