Theme:
Archaeology and the European Year of Cultural Heritage
Session format:
Discussion session: The first part of this discussion session will consist of presentations, the second part will have the character of a workshop and open discussion/world cafés.
Title:
The self-organization of archaeologists in Europe: roles and needs, responsibilities and legitimacy
Content:
In most if not all European countries archaeology finds itself under growing pressure. It is facing financial cuts and legislative changes which are setting priorities other than caring for cultural heritage. State archaeologists struggle to fulfil their duties under increasing pressure from political and economic factors in new developments. There is no universal agreement on archaeological professionalism or working conditions, and even where there is agreement not everyone follows the rules. Efficient lobbying and communication with politicians and citizens is more important than ever – but opportunities are often missed, due to archaeologists’ many obligations and duties, and perhaps also due to unclear roles. This session seeks to discuss these and other areas which archaeologists engage, examining the existing roles and functions within the field: e. g. state archaeologies, NGOs, professional associations, and learned societies. We will discuss what archaeologists can do to strengthen their inner structure and their efficiency. How many of our very limited resources are being used to protect allegedly own terrains within archaeology instead of dealing in a well-planned and harmonized way with external pressures? How common is a silo mentality, where a highly specialised discipline is fragmented and unable (or unwilling) to look at the bigger picture? Which fields are not covered enough, where could overlapping work and repeatedly "inventing the wheel" be reduced? This session wants to initiate a reflection of the future needs of our self-organization, and a debate on "who does what". This discussion session will consist of presentations and world cafés. The session will also include discussions about the EAA Committee on Professional Associations in Archaeology (CPAA), and all members interested in that committee are invited to engage.
Keywords:
professionalism, self-organization, roles, self-concept
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
yes
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Main organiser:
M.A. Diane Scherzler (Germany) 1
Co-organisers:
Dr. Frank Siegmund (Germany) 2
Dr. Paul Belford (United Kingdom) 3,4
Affiliations:
1. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (DGUF)
2. University of Münster
3. Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA)
4. Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT