Editorial: Public Archaeology

Abstract

This issue of the European Journal of Archaeology is aimed at examining matters of public archaeology and in so doing begs the questions-'what is public archaeology and how should it be defined?'. I hope the papers in this issue layout at least some of the scope of the definition, but undoubtedly there will be those who will wish to question whether the term should be used at all. I was recently asked to define public archaeology (on the grounds that I was giving a postgraduate course on the subject 1) and my reply to the effect that it was concerned with any area of archaeological activity that interacted or had the potential to interact with the public-the vast majority of whom, for a variety of reasons, know little about archaeology as an academic subject. This was dismissed as providing far too broad a definition to have any use, especially as 'archaeology is a public activity anyway'. Whilst it may be true that broad definitions might appear to be too all-embracing, I should argue that my original statement is defensible in terms of how and why the public becomes involved in, or aware of, archaeological issues. Briefly,as an example, the campaign involving Viking Dublin in the late 1970s and early 1980s saw a large element of public involvement with archaeology that at its height resulted in tens of thousands of Dubliners taking to the city streets ostensibly, but not entirely, to protect the city's archaeological heritage; there were other underlying causes and at least some political fallout. There was also considerable litigation (Bradley 1984; Heffernan 1988). This incident involved a series of issues which represent a proper area for research and explanation that can be seen in terms of public archaeology, but which are a long way removed from more conventional views of what public archaeology is seen to be. The term 'public archaeology first received widespread attention with the publication of Charles R. McGimsey III's Public Archaeology in 1972. This volume, which received some recognition in the UK and Europe at the time, was written 'with two audiences in mind:. .. colleagues in the archaeological profession. .. and the growing number of legislators and other interested citizens who are becoming

Do you even know what public archaeology is? Trends, theory, practice, ethics

“…One of the roles of public archaeology is to critique the process and means through which the archaeological sector influences, facilitates, limits and exposes these relationships among the past, present and future. However, without robust statistical evidence to gauge the level of public support and interest in archaeology, the discipline becomes vulnerable (Schadla-Hall 1999). In the current era of global economic austerity, with increasing cuts to public funding for archaeological work in Europe and beyond, there is greater need than ever before for research that can examine 'both the economic and cultural values and impacts of archaeological resources' (Schadla-Hall, Moshenska and Thornton 2010, 62).…”

“…Much of the European-focused literature on the subject defines public archaeology as an examination of the relationship between archaeology and the public, where the public of public archaeology is represented both by the state, working in the public interest to protect, excavate and investigate society's archaeology on their behalf, and by the notional 'general public', defined as those who are not professional archaeologists (Schadla-Hall 1999;Ascherson 2000;Merriman 2004).…”

Editorial: Public archaeology

“…The first is best summarized by the fact that, in the history section of its Christmas catalogue for 1998 (Dillons 1998), one of the UK's largest bookstore chains advertised a book by G. Hancock and S. Faiia (1998) as a best-selling work, even thougH. many of the ideas scarcely advance on those propounded by Perry (1923) in The Children of the Sun -a classic hyper-diffusionist text of the pre-war era. The possibility of giving prominence to such works when they are at best inaccurate calls into question the potential of archaeology to make a real impact with work that has been properly researched and criticized.…”

Introduction: interactions of archaeology and the public

“…What are the contributions of public archaeology to the discipline of archaeology and to the public? These are questions that have, over the last decade since Tim Schadla-Hall outlined the subject in 1999 (Schadla-Hall 1999), been at the centre of discussion. The field of study has evolved and spread globally, covering a variety of meanings and concepts since the term 'public archaeology' was coined by Charles R. McGimsey III.…”