Dangerous Occupations: Archaeologies of Structural Violence, Immigrants, and Resilience in Early California

By Marco G. Meniketti

Dangerous Occupations introduces a new generation of readers to how immigrants built the West Coast and at what great cost.This impactful work of historical archaeology combined with social history addresses structural violence in key California industries from the Gold Rush in 1849 until 1920. Monopolistic industries, such as railroading, mining, timbering, explosive manufacturing, lime production, meatpacking, and textile milling, as well fishing/whaling, relied on immigrant laborers, who were recruited and perceived as expendable.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0817362770
• ISBN13: 9780817362775
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: University Alabama Press
• Length: 216 Pages