Going beyond science: the tangible and intangible contributions of community Archaeology

Summary

It is widely recognized that archaeologists have the potential to contribute in meaningful ways to local communities. However, it is also important to consider the tangible and intangible nature of these contributions given the diverse and, sometimes, competing interests among various stakeholder groups along with the seasonal nature of academic archaeological and heritage research. Multi-year collaborative projects often facilitate greater general awareness of local heritage, open new opportunities for heritage tourism, and contribute towards reflections of local, regional and national identities. In this presentation, we draw examples from nine years of the Cultural Landscapes of the Irish Coast (CLIC) project, centered on the islands of Inishark and Inishbofin, off the west coast of Ireland, to examine how archaeological projects (broadly defined) contribute in tangible and intangible ways to heritage construction, island identity, and a sense of value and importance of local history and archaeology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• A Global Dialogue on Collaborative Archaeology

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15630