Critical Public Archaeology: Confronting Social Challenges in the 21st Century

Critical approaches to public archaeology have been in use since the 1980s, however only recently have archaeologists begun using critical theory in conjunction with public archaeology to challenge dominant narratives of the past. This volume brings together current work on the theory and practice of critical public archaeology from Europe and the United States to illustrate the ways that implementing critical approaches can introduce new understandings of the past and reveal new insights on the present. Contributors to this volume explore public perceptions of museum interpretations as well as public archaeology projects related to changing perceptions of immigration, the working classes, and race.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Berghahn Books
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781800736160

Book preview

Part I

Work with Communities

CHAPTER 1

Aiming for Anti-Racism

Policies and Practices of a Publicly Engaged Archaeology Department

Mary Furlong Minkoff, Terry P. Brock, and Matthew B. Reeves

Archaeologists who study African American experiences have a responsibility to examine not only the complicated relationships and emergence of race and racism in the past, but also their legacy in the present. This is particularly true when this research is part of a public archaeology program, especially one that seeks to engage with African Americans. As part of that legacy, archaeologists must examine our own personal and institutional biases and relationships with race and racism. This critical approach helps move archaeological research and interpretations beyond a simple recognition of racial biases, and toward efforts to make real change in how the discipline is practiced and how the past is understood. By working to truly engage with a broader constituency of people, particularly African Americans who are descendants, local residents, or archaeological practitioners, we are able to do archaeology in a way that draws on a wide variety of experiences and viewpoints. The Archaeology Department at the Montpelier Foundation has committed to adopting anti-racist policies in our approach to collaborative archaeological research, staffing and training, and public interpretation. This chapter will present the various policies and procedures that we have taken to try to combat racist archaeological practice and move toward an anti-racist