Public Engagement through Maritime Landscapes

Summary

The future of American Archaeology lies in its ability to engage the public and demonstrate the field’s relevance to a broad range of communities. One way that maritime archaeology can contribute to this future is through identifying and interpreting maritime landscapes. A maritime landscape approach draws on the "lure of the sea" that attracts many people to shipwreck studies, but engages larger constituencies through place-based history. Geographic space is one of the things that all people share and maritime landscapes loom large for many cultures due to the power, beauty, bounty, danger, and opportunity that water bodies hold. Maritime landscapes also allow for alternative histories to exist in the same space because landscapes are interpreted through a cultural lens. Groups that may be disenfranchised by the colonial histories often associated with shipwrecks can connect with maritime archaeology through the physical remains of their ancestors’ maritime occupations and beliefs. In these, and other ways, a maritime landscape approach gives maritime archaeology a broad church perspective that will help ensure a long, productive, and engaged future.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20252