Archaeological Significance, Professional Practice, and Public Praxis, Part 2: Identity, Community Engagement, and the Significance of Archeological Sites

Summary

This paper (Part 2 of 2) surveys public engagement with the President’s House Site In Independence Park (Philadelphia, PA, USA) in order to juxtapose how various communities of interest actively construct disparate notions of site significance from reservoirs of common memory and shared identity. The comparison makes clear that the archaeological profession represents but one particular community of interest whose restrictive practice does not encompass all that is valuable about a site. This case study highlights the need for a broader understanding of the significance of archaeological sites if, within the framework of public policy and academic practice, we hope to fully account for the value that varied communities seek to derive from encounters with the archaeological past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies of Memory and Identity   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-47,03