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

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.