Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites

Part of: Society for Historical Archaeology 2024

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites," at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

A significant portion of archaeology across the world is now conducted because of cultural heritage laws, policies, and regulations, and is funded not by passionate researchers or stakeholder communities, but by proponents who are required to pay for it to complete their projects. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities of archaeological investigations that occur within a process that is regulated or influenced by government policy, considering the roles of archaeological researchers and companies; descendant communities; project proponents; tribes; consulting parties; and local, state, and federal government agencies. Papers in the session will explore the political economy of these dynamics, exploring how archaeological outcomes are influenced by financial capacity, political access, and legal systems. The session will also explore how groups with heightened connections to these archaeological places, such as tribes, consulting parties, and descendant families and communities, navigate these dynamics when working to interpret and preserve their heritage.

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  • Documents (9)

Documents
  • Community Archaeology and Energy Infrastructure: Industrial archaeology and trust-building between residents, industry, and government (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Timothy Scarlett.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The Keweenaw Energy Transition Lab at Michigan Technological University is supporting efforts to adapt heritage mines into grid-scale, closed-loop pumped hydropower facilities. Archaeological research supports planning and decisions at all levels, from site selection,...

  • The Continuing Impact of the Race to the Bottom and Other Issues of Political Economy in the Heritage Business World (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Misty M. Jackson.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The problem of the client as the selector of the consultant is not a new one. While SHPO consultant lists were designed to help with the problem of allowing developers access to qualified providers, the process of self-certification does not necessary work as intended....

  • Historic Cemeteries and the Regulatory Void: The Struggle Over Bethesda’s Moses Cemetery (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Matthew M. Palus. Lyle C. Torp.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC are a special regulatory environment where much turns on the action of a state-level, intercounty commission formed in 1927 and responsible for regional planning. The disdain for African American communities in planning the DC...

  • How Financial Settlements Can Transform the Perceived Value of Archaeological Work and Sites (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Ellen Chapman.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. This presentation explores the potentially transformative impact of financial settlements on the perceived value of the quality of archaeological work and archaeological sites themselves. In cases where project proponents do not value archaeological quality and have...

  • Italian Cultural Heritage: Old Practice, New Challenges (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Deborah Chatr Aryamontri.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The history of safeguard, conservation and preservation of Cultural Heritage in Italy boasts a long tradition that goes back to the early 15th century. Since then, Italy has always been at the forefront in theoretically defining the concept of Cultural Heritage and in...

  • The Phenomenal Experience of Italian Archaeological Heritage: Exploring the Perceptions of the Villa of the Antonines Project (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Sophia Hudzik.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. This presentation explores a framework of the experience of ancient cultural heritage from the perspective of the potential stakeholders within the surrounding community of the Villa of the Antonines Archaeological Excavation. As the excavation continues to grow in...

  • Traumas Past, Present and Future: Trauma-Heritage and Trauma-Informed Practice (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Charlotte MS Feakins. Emma Barrett. Marlee Bower.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Trauma has become a modern-day zeitgeist in developed countries and as a term, has proliferated in everyday discourse. Global epidemiological studies estimate that over 70% of people will be exposed to extremely traumatic or life-threatening events. However, trauma...

  • Tribal Engagement in Virginia: Lessons Learned from Section 106 Consultation (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Erin M Cagney. Kevin Bradley.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The erasure of Indigenous American tribal communities from the historical record on the East Coast has had long-reaching impacts on the interpretation and perception of Indigenous heritage in Virginia. The relatively recent federal recognition of seven tribes in...

  • Who Does Cultural Resource Management Archaeology Serve?: A Perspective From Ontario, Canada (2024)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Matthew A. Beaudoin.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cultural Heritage Laws and Policies, Political Economy, and the Community Importance of Archaeological Sites", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. CRM archaeology is often heavily regulated and completed with the purported goal of recording and preserving significant heritage resources that would be destroyed by development activities. While these goals are well meaning, it is rarely discussed who we are saving...