Session: #699

Theme & Session Format

Theme:
Archaeology and the European Year of Cultural Heritage
Session format:
Discussion session: A session with short 10 minute papers followed by a discussion directly drawing upon the papers and associated topics.

Title & Content

Title:
Can we develop a European network of linked research agendas?
Content:
Making choices is part and parcel of our daily lives as human beings. The best decisions are made through a transparent and participatory process, collecting and considering the evidence, identifying needs and opportunities. Archaeological research agendas have existed for many years in a plethora of formats and scope, used to coordinate our research effort in different cultural periods or geographical locations. Since the Valetta Convention and the huge rise in commercial or planning-led archaeological investigations, the need to develop research agendas to prioritise interventions and research has increased greatly.

A number of research agendas are now online providing opportunities to link agendas. However, the majority of these are confined by political and territorial boundaries irrespective of the archaeological record. Are we missing an opportunity to look outside our own countries? Do we know what other archaeologists are researching and why? Should we start linking things up? Is this an opportunity to develop a European archaeological research agenda?

This session will look at how different countries have approached the development of research agendas as cultural heritage tools within their own political and legislative frameworks. Does the public have a voice in these agendas? We will then ask the question should we consider crossing boundaries and linking our agendas – whether digitally or conceptually, and how can we begin to move forward sharing ideas, approaches and even agendas.
Keywords:
research agenda, linking, sharing
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no

Organisers

Main organiser:
Archaeologist Daniel Miles (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Archaeologist Inge van der Jagt (Netherlands) 2
Archaeologist Emma Jane O’Riordan (United Kingdom) 3
Archaeologist Edmund Lee (United Kingdom) 1
Affiliations:
1. Historic England
2. The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
3. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland