Out of the Darkness and into the Light: Why CRM Needs to Move Beyond Producing Gray Literature

Summary

This is an abstract from the ""Is There Gold in that Field?" CRM and Public Outreach on the Front Lines" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This is a call to action for CRM professionals and archaeologists more broadly. In a world of viral tweets and social media influencers, the past is getting swept under the rug. Our work is regulated to gray literature, a checked box before breaking ground. Nevertheless, our efforts reveal powerful human stories with the power to inspire, to educate, to bring change. As environmental regulations that laid the foundation for our industry ebb and flow according to partisan politics, we must advocate for why cultural heritage deserves protecting. As funding for archaeological research shrinks, we must demonstrate the value of the fragments of the past we unearth. This presentation argues for the benefits of meaningful public outreach in archaeology—a message many echo, but few truly hear—because the future of our industry depends on it.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• "Is There Gold in that Field?" CRM and Public Outreach on the Front Lines

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32954