Creating an Equity-Based Seminar in Content and Format: A Case Study and Call to Action (original) (raw)
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An Intersectional Approach to Equity, Inequity, and Archaeology A Pathway through Community
Advances in Archaeological Practice, 2022
The year 2020 was an awakening for some. For others, it reiterated the persistent social injustice in the United States. Compelled by these events, 30 diverse individuals came together from January to May 2021 for a semester-long seminar exploring inequity in archaeological practice. The seminar's discussions spotlighted the inequity and social injustices that are deeply embedded within the discipline. However, inequity in archaeology is often ignored or treated narrowly as discrete, if loosely bound, problems. A broad approach to inequity in archaeology revealed injustice to be intersectional, with compounding effects. Through the overarching themes of individual, community, theory, and practice, we (a subset of the seminar's participants) explore inequity and its role in various facets of archaeology, including North-South relations, publication, resource distribution, class differences, accessibility, inclusive theories, service to nonarchaeological communities, fieldwork, mentorship, and more. We focus on creating a roadmap for understanding the intersectionality of issues of inequity and suggesting avenues for continued education and direct engagement. We argue that community-building-by providing mutual support and building alliances-provides a pathway for realizing greater equity in our discipline.
An Intersectional Approach to Equity, Inequity, and Archaeology
Advances in Archaeological Practice
The year 2020 was an awakening for some. For others, it reiterated the persistent social injustice in the United States. Compelled by these events, 30 diverse individuals came together from January to May 2021 for a semester-long seminar exploring inequity in archaeological practice. The seminar's discussions spotlighted the inequity and social injustices that are deeply embedded within the discipline. However, inequity in archaeology is often ignored or treated narrowly as discrete, if loosely bound, problems. A broad approach to inequity in archaeology revealed injustice to be intersectional, with compounding effects. Through the overarching themes of individual, community, theory, and practice, we (a subset of the seminar's participants) explore inequity and its role in various facets of archaeology, including North–South relations, publication, resource distribution, class differences, accessibility, inclusive theories, service to nonarchaeological communities, fieldwork...
Forum Kritische Archäologie , 2023
We live in a paradoxical world in which humanity has accumulated more wealth than ever before – but we have distributed it less equitably than ever before (e.g., Christiansen and Jensen 2019). This is not a new insight. Most archaeologists, at least since the Processual – Post-Processual debates, acknowledge that they work within inequality. As Gabriel Moshenska (p. 49),1 quoting Collingwood puts it: “I know that all my life I have been engaged unawares in a political struggle, fighting against these things in the dark. Henceforth I shall fight in the daylight.” This quote nicely encapsulates the intent of this important Archaeology as Empowerment theme issue that marks the 10th anniversary of Forum Kritische Archäologie. Archaeology is well-positioned to recognise the materiality of inequality in the past – and also in the present and potentially the future through a lens of climate change, war, poverty, and by utilising broad-scale social and technological innovations from the past (e.g., Boivin and Crowther 2021). We are perhaps the only field of enquiry to study human history in all of its facets (because we ‘steal’ or creatively repurpose so many insights and technologies from others, which can have its issues). But, as Nicolas Zorzin (p. 74) points out, our intervention can range from being a ‘prefix archaeology’ add-on to a ‘scientific’ project to a whole-hearted reorienting of archaeological work to empower people other than ourselves. However, there is a paucity of guidance on the ‘middle range’ and day-to-day actions we can take – and this theme issue offers 19 authored pieces with diverse themes, case studies, actions, and geographies tied to ‘activist’ archaeologies.
Class Confrontations in Archaeology.
Archaeologist not only live class they also study it. Archaeology as a discipline serves class interests and as a profession, or occupation, it has its own class structure. The discipline of archaeology has, since its founding, primarily served middle-class interests. It has formed part of the symbolic capital that has been necessary for membership in the middle class during this century. Archaeology has traditionally reproduced itself in the university using a guild model of apprenticeship and mastery. In both the academy and in cultural resource management today this guild model has become an ideology that obscures the existence of an archaeological proletariat of teaching assistants, adjuncts, and field techs. The ideology justifies denying these archaeologists respect, a living wage, job security, and benefits. A seven step program is proposed to rectify the structural class inequalities of modem archaeology.
Affording Archaeology: How Field School Costs Promote Exclusivity
Advances in Archaeological Practice
Field schools are essential for undergraduate students pursuing careers in archaeology, but they are expensive and, consequently, inaccessible to many. Although there have been efforts to rectify this through the creation of scholarships, there have been no systematic studies of the full cost of archaeological field schools. Here, we present a study of 208 field schools from 2019, including their tuition, room and board, and airfare, as well as the wages that students may lose by participating in them rather than working. We also explore how archaeologists interviewed for Heath-Stout's dissertation study of diversity issues in the discipline have navigated finding field experiences. We argue that scholarships are an ineffective and insufficient means of promoting equity and accessibility in the field because the root of the problem lies in institutionalized inequality and exclusivity. We provide strategies that students and faculty can use to address these problems on both indiv...
Confronting America's Archaeological Legacies
Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, 2023
American archaeology is rooted in the behaviors of our predecessors, yet our criticism of those forbearers is often disconnected from the issues of today's practice. Contributors to this volume seek to bridge that gap with a healthy dose of reflection. First, this introduction touches on some issues that are not more fully covered in the chapters that follow, specifically the #MeToo movement and field/conference safety, race, and class inequalities especially the costs of field schools and unpaid internships, and the need for inclusive practices for those who are differently abled. Then we summarize those issues that this volume does focus on, pointing out connections and interrelationships. Three major themes are explored: (1) how the identity of an archaeologist can impact their legacy; (2) how the careers of celebrated "big men" and "big projects" are often misrepresented; and (3) the relationship of archaeology to Black and Indigenous peoples, women, and other marginalized groups, including those who are archaeologists. To conclude, each editor presents a reflection of their own relationship to American archaeology and how that inspired this volume. [ableism, identity, inclusion, publishing, racism]
Archaeology and Social Justice in Native America
American Antiquity
Over the past 20 years, collaboration has become an essential aspect of archaeological practice in North America. In paying increased attention to the voices of descendant and local communities, archaeologists have become aware of the persistent injustices these often marginalized groups face. Building on growing calls for a responsive and engaged cultural heritage praxis, this forum article brings together a group of Native and non-Native scholars working at the nexus of history, ethnography, archaeology, and law in order to grapple with the role of archaeology in advancing social justice. Contributors to this article touch on a diverse range of critical issues facing Indigenous communities in the United States, including heritage law, decolonization, foodways, community-based participatory research, and pedagogy. Uniting these commentaries is a shared emphasis on research practices that promote Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. In drawing these case studies together, ...