ARCH07038 2019 Public and Community Archaeology

The objective of this course is to examine the relationship between archaeology and the public. As archaeologists, what are our responsibilities to the public? How have we neglected these responsibilities? How can we bring archaeology further into the public domain? Topics may include: what is public archaeology? Responsibilities of the archaeological profession to the public; the role of museums; what makes a good museum exhibit; the problem public: tourism, archaeology in the community, the antiquities market and subsistence digging; publication: publish or perish; archaeology in popular media: Time Team case study; archaeology in the national press; archaeology and politics; ethical issues: repatriation and excavation of human remains.

At the heart of the European debate lies the tension between the idea of European unity and individual state identities and types of nationalism. This volume sets out to provide some insight into this dichotomy by exploring the role of heritage in a new Europe.

Archaeology, most of us learned in school, consists in the painstaking digging up and sifting of relics from extinct cultures; hardly an exciting or indeed interesting activity - for most of us. Archaeologists and anthropologists, professional and otherwise, know better. In the buried structures and detritus of ancient cultures can be found a world of knowledge and insight - empirical and theoretical - into their cultures as well as our own. This fascinating volume brings these worlds to life, by integrating recent developments in anthropological and sociological theory with a series of detailed studies of prehistoric material culture. It is an exploration of the manner in which semiotic, hermeneutic, Marxist, and post-structuralist approaches radically alter our understanding of the past, and provides a series of innovative studies of key areas of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists.

Throughout the world, competing interest groups lay claim to the material remains of the past. Archaeologists, developers, indigenous 'first peoples', looters, museum curators, national government officals, New Age worshippers, private collectors, tourists - all want their share. This introduction to contemporary debates surrounding their rival claims deals with defining, owning, protecting, managing, interpreting, and experiencing the archaeological heritage. Fundamental questions are considered: What is 'archaeological heritage'? Who should own and control the material culture of the past? How should these remains be protected? How should the archaeological heritage be presented to the public? Robin Skeates calls for greater communication and co-operation between archaeologists and other interest groups, urging archaeologists to increase the involvement of local people in the culturally valuable and vulnerable material remains of their past, and in archaeological research that attempts to be objective.

Looting. Reburial and repatriation. Relations with native peoples. Professional conduct. The second edition of Archaeological Ethics combines compelling articles on these topics written for a general audience with valuable teaching aids. The updated articles provide a fascinating introduction to the issues faced every day in archaeological practice. The article summaries, discussion questions, suggestions for further reading, and resource guide serve as excellent teaching aids and make this volume ideal for classroom use.

Vitelli, K.D. 1996. Archaeological ethics.

Skeates, R. 2000. Debating the archaeological heritage. 

Maxwell, N. 1980. Digging up Dublin. 

Ashworth, G.J. 1994. Building a new heritage : tourism, culture, and identity in the new Europe. 

Chapter 9 Prospecting Archaeology. In: Tilley, C. 1993. Interpretative Archaeology.

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