The Archaeology of Burning Man: The Rise and Fall of Black Rock City by Carolyn L. White (review)

How do you conduct archaeological research on the temporary but cyclically recurring organism that is Black Rock City? Carolyn White collected data using precise, detailed archaeological methods at Burning Man as a participant-observer from 2008 to 2016. She was afforded excellent behind-the-scenes access through stakeholders in the Burning Man organization, the Bureau of Land Management, and of course, Burners attending the annual event. In White’s resulting book, The Archaeology of Burning Man, she not only explicates her findings, but she also relates her work to an array of archaeological theories and makes a case for the legitimacy of an “archaeology of the present” on active sites (22).

With 75 figures and 6 tables, White provides a colorful and accurate picture of the culture, principles, and history of Burning Man. As a Burner myself, I appreciated her occasional whimsical hints at Burners’ attitudes, styles, and playfulness. In general, however, her book takes a scholarly tone that is particularly heavy in the first two chapters where she provides a literature review and lengthy discussion of her methods and approaches inspired by seminal archaeologists—certainly important context for scholars in her field, though quite technical for the layperson. As a specialist of contemporary archaeology, White is highly influenced by the theories of James Deetz and Lewis Binford, whom she credits with inspiring her project, though she modifies and adapts their practices to suit this unique site.

One of White’s themes is the categorization of spaces as public, intermediary, or private, according to Henri Lefebvre’s tripartite scheme, which provides a fascinating framework for her discussions of the layouts of Black Rock City as a whole, as well as representative theme camps and villages. In describing a particular camp’s layout, White frequently applies the schema using abbreviations to delineate the use of space. For example, Pr/pr (private/private) to describe a sleeping area that is completely removed from the public eye (148); Pr/pu (private/public) to explain the use of a “dress-up tent” for costuming that is available only to the inhabitants of that camp (private) but is open to all of those inhabitants (public) (153); or Pr/i (private/intermediary) to designate a back area that holds private property (private) in a place to store items (intermediary) (143). This categorization of spaces is, in my opinion, the most intriguing aspect of her discussions of particular sites.

Georges Bataille’s concepts of immoderate consumption, the dissipation of the “accursed share,” and the effervescence of life, as applied by White, contribute apt themes for the extravagance of Burning Man— a place where participants go to extremes to expend excess energy on building and burning down structures, constructing art forms, costuming, gifting, and simply experiencing everything to the fullest. Performative squandering of wealth at Burning Man is key to its ethos. At the same time, this aspect of the event can also spark a controversial discussion about elitism and privilege, an issue that White does not delve into but only hints at. The rhizome and meshwork metaphors that she employs also correspond well with her portrayal of Burning Man as a mutable organism. The comprehensive index and bibliography are useful to locate the numerous references to scholars.

Ultimately, White argues that studying Black Rock City as an active site, with dwellers engaging in daily activities, affords an opportunity to understand place as a concept, “a place that is unlike any other city but is also just the same” (3). With up to 75,000 inhabitants who live together for one week, Black Rock City offers the rare chance to study, over the years, the constancies and changes of an intentionally ephemeral site, a city that rises and falls at an accelerated pace.