Disciplining a discipline: On in-groups and out-groups and archaeological identity politics through time

Summary

Who has claimed and who can claim to hold knowledge about the ancient past has shifted greatly over time in the United States. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, groups like the Archaeological Institute of America and smaller state-level archaeological societies were founded throughout the United States, which largely formed from local and growing interest in the ancient past. In just the past century, associations, societies and other groups like the American Anthropological Association, the Society for American Archaeology, and The Register of Professional Archaeology have also formed, essentially creating a complex array of “in-groups” and “out-groups” among professional and avocational archaeologists. Forging, maintaining, and expanding ones connections to these groups, especially with professional archaeologists, is directly tied to ones ability to produce and circulate knowledge about the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Collaborations and Competition between Professionals and Nonprofessionals in the Production of Archaeological Knowledge in the Americas

Keywords

Spatial Coverage