Managing Archaeological Heritage in the 21st Century

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Archaeology has long been an important component of heritage management throughout the world. Iconic as well as mundane heritage sites have employed archaeology to celebrate and honor the past. As community archaeology has expanded over the past decade to involve various stakeholders who have a vested interest in the material remains of the past, it has become incumbent upon archaeologists to partner with others to manage archaeological resources in the interests of broad and varied constituencies. There is a global challenge to archaeological heritage management as a top-down endeavor in which archaeologists are seen as the arbiters in deciding which sites matter and to whom, which sites to preserve, and why and how. This symposium will showcase effective ways to manage archaeological heritage in collaboration with public partners by showcasing best practices, successes, and challenges to guide the archaeological enterprise in the 21st century.

Other Keywords
heritage • Public Archaeology • Historical Archaeology • Interpretation • Cultural Resource Management • Climate Change • Folklore • Exhibit • Slavery • Cemetery

Geographic Keywords
North America - Northeast • South America • Europe • Caribbean • North America - Midwest • North America - NW Coast/Alaska • North America - Southeast

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-12 of 12)

  • Documents (12)
Documents
  • Beyond the Four-Letter Word: Heritage Management and Public Archaeology at Fort Vancouver (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Douglas Wilson.

    Heritage managers of complex archaeological sites are more highly successful when there is a commitment to on-going public involvement and the integration of multiple communities in the site’s archaeological research and site interpretation. The public archaeology program at Fort Vancouver is highlighted as a model for integrating traditional archaeology education activities with site-specific archaeological research, the development of archaeology-influenced interpretation, and the development...

  • Bottom-Up Heritage Management in Ithaca, New York: Community Initiatives and Collaborations with University Archaeologists (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Sherene Baugher.

    Discovering Enfield Falls is dramatically different from academic managed heritage projects that are top-down projects initiated by archaeologists. In our project, the heritage planning originated with stakeholders who were determine to preserve the history of a community that was demolished in the early twentieth century to create a state park. This 19th century hamlet was both a commercial center for farmers and a regional scenic tourist destination. The stakeholders did not need...

  • Critical Heritage Archaeology at the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Robert Paynter.

    The University of Massachusetts Amherst has conducted Critical Heritage Archaeology at the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite in Great Barrington, MA in collaboration with a community group interested in commemorating Du Bois and fostering an understanding of African American life in Western Massachusetts. W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the most important scholars and political leaders of the late 19th and first half of the 20th century. A 1969 commemoration at the site was met by local and national...

  • A Forgotten Town on a Forgotten Road: The Archaeology of Pine Barrens Heritage at the Storied Cedar Bridge Tavern (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Richard Veit. Sean McHugh. Adam Heinrich.

    New Jersey’s Pinelands (aka the Pine Barrens) is the largest preserved natural space in the Boston-Washington megalopolis. Fabled as the home of the Jersey Devil, endless pine forests, lost ghost towns, cranberry bogs, and "Pineys," the region has long drawn the attention of writers, researchers, and folklorists. Many of these authors have emphasized the distinctive way of life present in the region. This paper brings the archaeological lens to bear on the Pinelands. Have the Pinelands long...

  • The Future of the Past at Fort St. Joseph, Niles, Michigan (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Michael Nassaney.

    The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project was initiated in 1998 as a collaborative partnership between Western Michigan University, the City of Niles, and various community groups. After 10 seasons of site investigations, scholarly publications, and public archaeology at this eighteenth-century French fur trading post, the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Advisory Committee invited historic preservation professionals, economic development planners, educators, students, and community members to...

  • Local Politics and Site Ownership: Archaeology in the Age of Lawfare (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Uzi Baram.

    Heritage management encompasses a tremendous range of activities and concerns, including stewardship of the archaeological record. The ethical responsibilities of conservation and protection require recognition of the competing interests involved in the property ownership. This paper reflects on the implications of the dynamics involved in a recent case in Florida. A location containing a significant early 19th century archaeological record became caught up in legal battles. The dynamic is part...

  • The New Public Archaeology: Evolving concepts in international public archaeology and interpretation (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only John H Jameson.

    In this presentation I discuss evolving concepts in public archaeology and interpretation. I give two examples, one from South Carolina, USA, and the other, as of early 2014, in Crimea, Ukraine, on how these concepts have been proposed and applied at sites and parks. In many parts of the West, the overarching trend is an increasing involvement of non-professionals in planning and carrying out archaeological and cultural heritage studies and public interpretation. We look at three evolving...

  • One Site, Multiple Pasts: Negotiating Identity and Archaeological Heritage along the US/Canadian Border (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Andrew Beaupré.

    Fort Saint-Jean lies in the Richelieu River Valley approximately half-way between the modern American/Canadian border and the City of Montreal. The valley has been a space of contestation between French, British, Canadian and American ideas, identities, and empires. For over three hundred years this contestation has taken numerous forms, ranging from ethnic stereotyping, to open warfare. When I began directing the Laval University archaeological field program at Fort Saint-Jean, our research...

  • Parsing ‘Public’ for Heritage Management in the Transnational Sphere (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Kathryn Lafrenz Samuels.

    Engaging local communities and the many publics has become responsible practice for archaeologists and heritage managers. However, the character of the public sphere is changing. Neoliberal reforms around the world have seen private and commercial actors increasingly fill the vacuum left in the wake of state withdrawal from social services provisioning. This withdrawal has meant the blurring of public and private interests and opening of new governance mechanisms beyond those of the...

  • The Role of Intangible Heritage Values in the Management of Places and Things (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Elizabeth Chilton.

    One of the stated goals of decolonizing archaeological theory and practice it to redistribute power and authority in the creation and communication of cultural heritage, a laudable goal. However, achieving such a goal is only possible if archaeologists and historican relinquish their role as historiographical experts—as the ultimate authority on historical truths and significance. While in recent years there has been a trend towards increasing public outreach and engagement, in some cases such...

  • Sharing the teapot and the science: Challenges and Contributions in shaping 21st century island heritage in Ireland (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Katherine Shakour. Ian Kuijt. Tommy Burke.

    Crucial to heritage management in the 21st century is developing and maintaining cooperative relationships among archaeologists, local community and decent communities. Different stakeholders have varied views of how to define the past, the cultural and historical relevance of people, places and objects and the extent to which this should be shared when creating multivocal histories. Focusing on the islands of Inishark and Inishbofin, Co. Galway, Ireland, located five miles into the Atlantic...

  • Slavery and memory in French Guiana: designing the commemoration of memory at the Loyola cemetery while respecting sensibilities of history (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Reginald Auger.

    Our paper reflects on the development of a commemoration concept which takes into account the sensibilities of descendants from the slave trade period in French Guiana. Memory of the trade period is indeed a very sensitive issue among residents of most Caribbean Islands and we use sixteen years of research at one site to present the various questions with which we are confronted in order for the local population to appropriate the spirit of place. The Loyola Habitation was located at 10 km from...