Conference 2008: Progressing Professional Practice (original) (raw)

Conference 2008: Managing Archaeology

The Archaeologist

A u t u m n 2 0 0 8 N u m b e r 6 9 C Contents Editorial From the finds tray Publicising the IFA Kathryn Whittington Labouring in Archaeology: Profiling the Profession 2007-08 Kenneth Aitchison Changes to the validation procedure Kathryn Whittington Who should pay for training? Roger White Barriers to entry and accreditation of archaeologists Gerry Wait A u t u m n 2 0 0 8 N u m b e r 6 9

Whither Archaeologists? Continuing challenges to field practice.

Antiquity, 2019

Current archaeological practice in the UK and elsewhere focuses on the collection of empirical data. While scholars have proposed theoretical advances in field techniques, very few of these methods have been adopted in commercial archaeology. A combination of increased time pressure on development projects and the conservatism of the sector contribute to challenging times for archaeological practice. Additional complexity is introduced by large-scale infrastructure projects unsuited to standardised field techniques. This article explores these issues, calling for a flexible, consultative approach to project design and implementation, to ensure the longevity of both archaeology and the archaeological profession.

Registered Archaeological Organisations: An Update

The Archaeologist

Improving archaeologists' pay p7 Training: investment in our future p16 The setting of cultural heritage features p44 Institute of Field Archaeologists SHES, University of Reading, Whiteknights PO Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB tel 0118 378 6446 fax 0118 378 6448 email admin@archaeologists.net website www.archaeologists.net

A working profile: the changing face of professional archaeology in Australia

Results from comprehensive surveys of Australian professional archaeologists undertaken in 2005 and 2010 are considered in the context of disciplinary trends, focusing on changes in access and participation, archaeological workplaces, qualifications and skill gaps. Strong growth is demonstrated in the professional archaeology sector between 2005 and 2010, showing substantial restructuring in the last five years, with an increase in Indigenous archaeology and a corresponding decrease in other subfields, especially historical archaeology. An analysis of self-assessed skill sets and skill gaps shows that the training of many professionals continues to leave significant gaps in core skill and knowledge areas which are consistent across industry subfields.

The changing face of professional archaeology in Australia

2013

Results from comprehensive surveys of Australian professional archaeologists undertaken in 2005 and 2010 are considered in the context of disciplinary trends, focusing on changes in access and participation, archaeological workplaces, qualifications and skill gaps. Strong growth is demonstrated in the professional archaeology sector between 2005 and 2010, showing substantial restructuring in the last five years, with an increase in Indigenous archaeology and a corresponding decrease in other subfields, especially historical archaeology. An analysis of self-assessed skill sets and skill gaps shows that the training of many professionals continues to leave significant gaps in core skill and knowledge areas which are consistent across industry subfields.

Title: Post-excavation assessment, analysis and dissemination in modern archaeological practice

The anticipated boom in planning-led archaeology will lead to unprecedented amounts of data being produced. However there are concerns that much of this data will be redundant, despite the care and resources spent upon its collection. Audiences are being missed, or worse, ignored. We are facing a crossroads in our professional practice, largely due to how we undertake post-excavation. The current post-excavation assessment procedures were initially established by English Heritage (1991) and have been widely followed across the sector. We have now been using them for 25 years, without a formalised review or renewal. In the meantime, the dual pressures of programme and budget have become more acute and the sheer amount of data created on an average City of London project (for example) can be too complex to be analysed effectively within the timescales available (Cumberpatch 2015). The key question we have failed to ask ourselves thus far is who we are trying to engage. The vast majority of our published material is aimed at fellow archaeologists and the academic sector but the use of archived data remains uncommon. Academic priorities for urban archaeology centre upon synthesis (Bryant and Thomas 2015, 18), which requires the adherence to research strategies (Museum of London 2002, Rowsome and Baker 2016) but these are rarely explicitly adopted, so despite regular calls for improved synthesis (Millett 2013; 2016; Perring 2015; Wilson 2016), it remains clear that there are limited possibilities for thematic work, despite the vast amounts of archived data. We should perhaps redirect our efforts to attract a wider variety of audiences. This proposal leads on from my recently completed PhD which examined professional practice in the City of London and led me to consider that there should be far less distinction made between the worlds of 'commercial' and 'academic' archaeology. The opportunity to study at the McDonald Institute would be the ideal progression from this viewpoint. My employer MOLA has been an industry leader in the innovation of techniques and are keen to encourage this field of study, particularly as our profession is looking forward to the positive influence of the HS2 project.