Transformations in Professional Archaeology
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)
This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
Our profession is rapidly changing. Professional archaeology is currently amid a period of significant transformation. This symposium addresses the current changes in professional archaeology brought on by the effects of social justice movements, inclusion/diversity/equity initiatives, projected and current labor shortages in the private sector/consultant spaces, increased collaboration with descendant communities, prioritized safety in workplaces, disconnects between formal education/training and professional skills/responsibilities, our contribution to climate change, sustainability, and resiliency policy, infrastructure legislation and the effects on CRM/HRM industry, the focus on wellness in career management, the renewed emphasis on professional conduct and accountability, and changing views of mental health including substance use disorders. The impacts of the above, among other current issues, are resulting in a sea change for our profession and our careers. This session aims to give voice to some of these topics and the effect on the profession of archaeology—today and into the future. This is not a symposium about theoretical trends in archaeology but rather about the forces shaping professional archaeology today.
Other Keywords
Cultural Resource Management •
Cultural Resources and Heritage Management •
Historical Archaeology •
History Of Archaeology •
Ethics •
Compensation •
digital archaeology •
Sociopolitics •
Quantitative and Spatial Analysis •
Ethnography/Ethnoarchaeology
Geographic Keywords
North America •
United States of America (Country) •
United Mexican States (Country) •
Department of Martinique (Country) •
Republic of El Salvador (Country) •
Department of Guadeloupe (Country) •
Cayman Islands (Country) •
Antigua and Barbuda (Country) •
Turks and Caicos Islands (Country) •
Bermuda (Country)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-9 of 9)
- Documents (9)
-
Alcohol Use and Archaeological Practice (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The role of alcohol in the practice and culture of American archaeology has rarely been critically investigated. Although most practicing archaeologists agree a link between alcohol use and archaeology exists, the nature of that dynamic is often left unexamined. There is little doubt that the consumption of alcohol serves some function or...
-
Forget Projections, Be the Change: Crushing Archaeology Career Myths to Inspire New Trajectories for CRM (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. One of the most popular narratives at this time in archaeology, promoted by Atschul and Klein 2022, is that there will be a dearth of archaeologists now and into the near future, particularly archaeologists with master's degrees or higher. This presentation will bust the myths regarding the role and necessity of advanced degrees in CRM and...
-
Industry Challenges for Cultural Heritage Consulting Firms in North America (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. A main challenge confronting archaeologists today is the uncertainty surrounding the availability, viability, and sustainability of careers. As such, this paper provides an economic overview of the cultural heritage consulting (CRM/HRM) industry, the largest employment sector for archaeologists, in the United States and Canada. The industry...
-
Partnering with Descendant Communities: Investigating the Dorsey Site, an 1874 African American Farm in Sugarland, Maryland (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The current symposium explores how professional archaeology is changing. In the past 25 years, we have increased partnerships, and collaboration, with descendant voices changing the practice of archaeology. Toward that end, in 2020 the Sugarland Ethno-History Project (SEHP) leadership initiated the investigation of the Basil and Nancy Dorsey’s...
-
Paying the Price for Passion: Navigating Compensation Realities in US Academic Archaeology (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This paper explores the complex realm of compensation realities encountered by academic archaeologists by examining the interplay between salary structures and regional cost of living variations. A hyper-competitive job market and the gradual decline of tenure track job availability have had profound effects on early-career scholars’ prospects...
-
The Portrait of Professional Qualification Standards: Where Archaeologists Stand Regarding the Secretary of the Interior Standards (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In August 2023, the SAA Government Affairs Committee sponsored the organization of a survey of archaeologists on the Secretary of the Interior Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (SOIS). This was done in response to a post by the US Department of the Interior announcing their intent to review and update the SOIS....
-
Reflections on 30 Years of Digital Archaeology: Where Do We Go from Here? (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Over the past three decades, archaeology has experienced a paradigm shift with the integration of digital recording and publishing methodologies. This “paper” critically examines whether, in our pursuit of technological advancements, we have remained true to the core principles of archaeological ethics. Are we on the brink of a digital dark...
-
The State of State Archaeological Site Files (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The North Carolina Office of State Archaeology (NCOSA) has spent several years digitizing its archive of reports and site records to improve access for cultural resource managers and researchers. As we work towards making those files available for professional archaeologists to search remotely, we have compiled data on how other states make...
-
What Is CRM’s Origin Story: How Did We Get to the System We Have Now and What Does It Say about Our Future? (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Transformations in Professional Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. How did the current regulatory archaeology system form? What lessons can we learn from how the system was set up? What do these past accounts say about the future of cultural resource management? As part of a historical review stemming from the SAA Government Affairs Committee's survey regarding the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and...