Bánffy, E. – Raczky, P. 2010 : The crisis and changes in the cultural heritage legislation in Hungary: cul-de-sac or solution? In: Schlanger, N.- Aitchison, K. (eds). The global crisis and archaeology. ACE - Culture Lab Editions, Tervuren, Belgium: 81-86 (original) (raw)

25th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists Beyond paradigms

2019

Themes of the Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting themes, as defined by the Scientific Committee, incorporate the diversity of EAA and the multidimensionality of archaeological practice, including archaeological interpretation, heritage management and politics of the past and present. 1. Archaeological theory and methods beyond paradigms 2. Interpreting the archaeological record: artefacts, humans, and landscapes 3. Archaeology of mountainous landscapes 4. Digital archaeology, science and multidisciplinarity: new methods, new challenges 5. Archaeological heritage and museum management: future chances, future risks 6. Global change and archaeology

Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe 2012-14: Transnational Report

Danica Staššíková-Štukovská, Andris Sne, Tina Kompare, Eva Parga-Dans, Cláudia Costa, Vesna Pintarič Kocuvan, Kenneth Aitchison, Ain Mäesalu, Katharina Möller, Andrew Lawler, Tine Schenck, Karin Scharringhausen, Marjo Schlaman, Jan Frolík, Mariana Diniz, Katheriin Liibert, Rocío Varela-Pousa, Joao Tereso, Efthymia Alphas, Gavin MacGregor, Nele Kangert, Heleen van Londen, Michaela Mácalová, Kerri Cleary, Raimund Karl, Irena Lazar

2014

Between 2012 and 2014 representatives from 23 organisations in 21 European countries worked together in the Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe 2014 project to gain insight into the profile of the archaeological profession and labour market in those countries. The results can be compared with those of a predecessor Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe project, undertaken in 2006-08, Employment. Across the 21 participating states, it is calculated that a total of over €1 billion is spent on professional archaeology every year, with the majority of that expenditure being on the salary costs of the estimated 24,740 people who work as archaeologists in these countries. This group of professionals represents 0.006% of the combined total workforces of those states. In many states, the absolute numbers employed in archaeology has fallen significantly over the previous six years. It is estimated that approximately 33,000 archaeologists now work across Europe as a whole. Growth of the sector. Across Europe, organisations employing archaeologists have typically become smaller over the five years prior to this project, and employers are very cautious about predicting future growth. Nature of the workforce. A slight majority (50.3% to 49.7%) of archaeologists are women. The proportion of women in the workforce has increased over the six years since 2006-08 from 45.9%. On average, European archaeologists are 40 years old. Very few European archaeologists are disabled – 1.1% of the total number of workers for whom data were available, a reduction from 1.5% in 2006-08. Countries of Origin. 94% of archaeologists work in their own countries of origin, 5% are from other EU states and 1% from elsewhere in the world. Overall, this shows a slight decline in sectoral transnational mobility, as in 2006-08 more archaeologists were working away from their countries of origin. Qualifications. In every participating state, it is normal for people working in archaeology to hold a degree – on aggregate, 94% of European archaeologists are graduates and the majority (69%) are postgraduates. 90% of archaeologists gained their highest qualifications in the countries in which they now work, with 9% obtaining those qualifications elsewhere in Europe (and 1% elsewhere in the world). When compared with the figures from 2006-08, this shows that archaeologists are increasingly educationally mobile. Salaries. In twelve of the 21 participating states, archaeologists were paid less than the national average for all workers. An average figure of €24,901 was calculated as the mean salary earned by an archaeologist, but this is relatively meaningless as average salaries vary enormously between counties, with Danish archaeologists earning on average nine times the amount earned by their peers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nature of the work. 78% of the archaeologists for whom data were available worked full-time and 22% part-time. This is a marked change from 2006-08, when the percentages were 86% full-time and 14% part-time. 63% of archaeologists held permanent contracts at the time of the research, while the remaining 37% of workers had time-limited contracts. Structures. As was identified in the predecessor project in 2006-08, archaeological practice in the participating states is organised on different models, with varying levels of commercial activity balanced against state agency engagement. This is often linked to the funding basis of archaeological practice (variation both on the basis of funding from the state or from private sector industries, and on whether delivery is achieved by the state or by the private sector). Different states define who can be considered to be an archaeologist in different ways. Vocational education and training (VET) in the sector is almost universally delivered by universities through academic degree programmes. Skills and Training Needs. Issues relating to specific training needs were assessed in each participating country, but, as in 2006-08, because of the variety of ways in which these questions were asked by the project partners (in order to accommodate the differing structures and approaches to archaeological work in each participating state), the information obtained cannot be usefully compared transnationally. Trends and developments. In comparison with the predecessor work undertaken in 2006-08, the main ways that the sector has changed are that the number of jobs has decreased and the proportion of women working in the sector has increased. Furthermore, jobs are more likely to be part-time and for shorter contractual periods; archaeologists are more highly qualified, but are less well-paid in comparison with other sectors.

The responsibility of European archaeologists

European Journal of Archaeology, 2019

In this article I address the relationship between European archaeologists and the European Union and argue that the dominant attitude of non-involvement that archaeologists have embraced over the past decades cannot be justified given recent political developments. The European project finds itself in a state of deep crisis, under siege from populist and far-right leaders within and around Europe. We cannot afford to watch from the sidelines when the future of hundreds of millions of people is at stake. As archaeologists we can make a positive contribution by harnessing the political dimension of our work, which we need to stop seeing in a negative light. We should deploy the past to help tackle the challenges of our society. European archaeologists should particularly focus on developing grand narratives of a shared past in Europe, to act as a foundation for a European identity.

On the Organization of European Archaeology

Sophie Bergerbrant & Serena Sabatini (eds), Counterpoint: Essays in Archaeology and Heritage Studies in Honour of Professor Kristian Kristiansen, Oxford, 17-20 (BAR S2508), 2013

This paper is a tribute to Kristian Kristiansen from his Festschrift. It tells the story of how European archaeology got organized: how a journal was conceived that gave birth to an association (European Association of Archaeologists, EAA) that brought forth a council (Europae Archaeologiae Consilium, EAC)

EAA 2022 Statement on Nurturing the Cycle of Good Archaeological Practice

EAA 2022 Statement, 2022

At its 2022 Annual Meeting in Budapest, the EAA is launching its updated Code and Principles as well as four new Advisory Committees: Scientific; Heritage; Public Benefits; and Education, Training and Professional Development. In joining our EAA community, Individual and Corporate Members, who work in extremely diverse and interdisciplinary ways across many national contexts, agree to adhere to our Codes. Our Code and Principles seek to inspire and nurture good practice while promoting the greater integration of archaeological practice with society and its needs. The expansion of the former Code (1997, revised 2009) is therefore a barometer of topical challenges, opportunities and wider social developments that affect archaeologists across many sectors, and clearly demonstrates the Association's readiness to react accordingly. These sectors include higher education and research, heritage management, museums and archives, and commercial contract archaeology.

Past Presenting. Questions of science in European archaeology since 1995

European Association of Archaeologists, 2020

Some personal reflections on archaeology, 25 years after the first meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in 1995. This is a talk I gave at the online meetings of the European Association of Archaeologists in August 2020. It was part of a session convened by Felipe Criado-Boado and Kristian Kristiansen, who had been organizers of the meetings in Santiago de Compostela in 1995. They asked contributors to reflect upon 25 years of change in European Archaeology. I have been immensely influenced by the extraordinary leadership and vision of Felipe and Kristian, by the welcoming humanism of so many members of the EAA. My talk explores how we might conceive an archaeology that is centered upon community, collegiality, dialogue, in working with what remains of the past to build a better future.