Open eyes, open minds, open arms, and open hearts open archaeology

Summary

Archaeologists share formidable qualities of mind and temperament: observational acuity, organizational skill, perseverance. These are necessary, of course, in the sifting through of vast arrays of questions to address, evidence to harness, methods to deploy, and interpretive lenses to employ. Such rigor-making attributes may not, however, be sufficient for effective practice at hazy contacts among material pasts and intangible presents, for negotiating meanings and values out of that haze, or for investing those meanings and values into projects with non-academic benefits and beneficiaries. Success in such pursuits, including transdisciplinary research and community-driven practice, often requires high tolerance for ambiguity in measures at least equal to precision and consistency. Keeping eyes, minds, and arms open to possibilities for unanticipated ways of seeing, knowing, and collaborating—a discipline dependent as much on relaxation as on rigour—opens archaeology to the benefits of humankind’s most potent ally, positive affect.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Archaeologies of Heart: Exploring the Role of Emotion and Spirit in Archaeological Research and Practice

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 13290