-
Undead Divides: An Archaeology of Walls in The Walking Dead
- Author(s):
- Howard Williams (see profile)
- Date:
- 2020
- Group(s):
- Archaeology, Early Medieval
- Subject(s):
- Zombie films, Archaeology, Fiction, Landscapes
- Item Type:
- Book chapter
- Tag(s):
- zombies, walled communities, apocalypse, Landscape
- Permanent URL:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/fga7-dg47
- Abstract:
- In 2010, the zombie horror genre gained even greater popularity than the huge following it had previously enjoyed when AMC’s The Walking Dead (TWD) first aired. The chapter surveys the archaeology of this fictional post-apocalyptic material world in the show’s seasons 1–9, focusing on its mural practices and environments which draw upon ancient, biblical, medieval and colonial motifs. The study identifies the moralities and socialities of wall-building, dividing not only survivors aspiring to re-found civilization from the wilderness and manifesting the distinctive identities of each mural community, but also distinguishing the living from the undead. The roles of the dead and the undead in mural iterations are also explored. As such, dimensions of past and present wall-building practices are reflected and inverted in this fictional world. As part of a broader ‘archaeology of The Walking Dead’, the chapter identifies the potentials of exploring the show’s physical barriers within the context of the public archaeology of frontiers and borderlands.
- Metadata:
- xml
- Published as:
- Book chapter
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 3 years ago
- License:
- All Rights Reserved
- Share this:
An online community for ASEEES members
undead-divides.pdf