From Field to Table: Critical Perspectives on the Social Dynamics of Field-Based Learning, and How They Can Help Us Refine More Reflexive Educational Approaches

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Pedagogy in the Undergraduate Archaeology Classroom" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Ethical questions surrounding the social politics and disciplinary culture of archaeology—especially questions arising from the unequal power dynamics pervasive in fieldwork settings—have primarily been framed as professional problems and are seldom considered from a pedagogical perspective. In this paper, I argue that fieldwork (and by extension, field-based study) may be regarded as a “pedagogical laboratory” where unacknowledged power structures that shape cultures of higher education and research practice are thrown into sharper relief. Adopting critical perspectives on the social politics of archaeological fieldwork, I begin by examining how these dynamics not only impact student learning experiences but also leave their imprint on archaeological interpretations of the past. Taking this position as a point of departure, I explore the premise that, in order to foster more equal and inclusive learning environments in both the field and the classroom, disciplinary discourse ought to reflect a critical awareness of the sociocultural and historical contexts governing the production of scientific knowledge, and equip students with the intellectual tools to critically evaluate their own research and learning environments. I advocate for pedagogical reforms that broadly integrate disciplinary reflexivity, norm-criticism, and multivocality as foundational concepts in undergraduate education, with potential applications beyond archaeology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Pedagogy in the Undergraduate Archaeology Classroom   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35564.0