Current Trends in Aviation Archaeology

Summary

Aviation archaeology as a field of study has struggled for academic, professional, and public acceptance since its beginning. In some ways, this sub-discipline of historical or underwater archaeology mirrors the development of nautical archaeology. As nautical archaeologists overcame the barrier of the oceans and pioneered methodology, the proponents of aviation archaeology are using the discipline to overcome barriers of perception and tradition. The practice of aviation archaeology, however, is fraught with opposing viewpoints and stakeholders often exhibit a non-collaborative attitude towards other groups and sometimes even their own colleagues. These stakeholder groups are each focused on their own priorities, be they theory, methodology, conservation, display, or re-use, and each group is attempting to shape the future of aviation archaeology through their projects or publications. This paper is a critical evaluation of the current state of aviation archaeology, including its recent history, an identification of stakeholders and concerns, a review of trail-blazing projects, trends in practice from academic to amateur, and a few theories of interpretation and display.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Is the Pattern Really Full?: Asking Questions That Count In The Archaeology of Sunken Aircraft   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-60,01