It’s Our Mess Now: Changing Values, Problematic Legacies, and Visioning Change in Archaeological Collections Management

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ideas, Ethical Ideals, and Museum Practice in North American Archaeological Collections" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In recent years, many leadership positions at archaeological repositories and museums have been filled by a new generation of archaeologists, collections managers, and curators. These early- and mid-career professionals’ education and training has taken place since the enactment of NAGPRA, and our lived experiences have been marked by the growth of the digital world, climate change, and acute awareness of structural inequalities. As such, many of us bring to our work a value system that is often at odds with the principles and practices that have historically governed our institutions. As we step into these roles, we struggle to implement meaningful change within institutions burdened by insufficient resources and constrained by bureaucratic policies. We are tasked with rebuilding relationships and providing excellent collections care after decades of damaging colonial practice. This presentation explores the ways that new leaders in this field are grappling with the problematic legacies of their institutions and presents an actionable framework to plan for and enact structural change.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Ideas, Ethical Ideals, and Museum Practice in North American Archaeological Collections   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38256.0