Archaeologists’ Role in New Approaches to Heritage Studies and Heritage Protection

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New Perspectives on Heritage Protection: Accomplishing Goals" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

If conceptions of heritage are based on a community’s shared values, then it should follow that protection of heritage assets would also be built on those shared values. However, we live in an imperfect world of diverse, often competing stakeholders who assign different values to heritage. Nevertheless, archaeologists and other heritage professionals are developing new interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning about heritage in respectful, inclusive, and socially engaged ways that can contribute to greater understanding of the importance of heritage protection. This presentation offers case studies in which heritage professionals incorporate values considerations, civic engagement opportunities, and stakeholder perspectives in their interdisciplinary teaching and practice. New opportunities for knowledge sharing about heritage protection, laws, and enforcement emerge through interdisciplinary teaching and learning; critical thinking skills lead to more complicated and inclusive understandings of community heritage. Students and early career professionals are putting these learnings into practice. In turn, their understanding of heritage protection issues influences their interactions with community and descendant stakeholders, as well as with law enforcement and land management professionals. This presentation reflects on how new approaches to teaching and learning in heritage studies can contribute to the goal of heritage protection and preservation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Perspectives on Heritage Protection: Accomplishing Goals

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23517