The Impact of Belizean Archaeological Participation on Aspects of Cultural Identity and Cultural Heritage

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Belize is a country rich in archaeological resources including Paleoindian, Archaic, the Ancient Maya, and colonial. Belize has been and continues to be the focus of archaeological research, largely conducted by foreign researchers that help facilitate archaeological field schools training primarily American, Canadian, and English students. While many Belizeans are hired to work on these projects, they are not in a position to conduct investigations, analyses, nor produce/disseminate reports of their findings. Using ethnographic/qualitative methods, my dissertation research aims to investigate whether greater participation on an archaeological project has any impact on a young Belizean regarding (1) their sense of cultural identity, (2) their perception of a shared Belizean cultural heritage, and (3) their relation to the archaeological past. This paper outlines the proposed methodology, expected results, and why this form of community/collaborative research is essential for understanding the need of greater community/public components on foreign led archaeological projects in Belize.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38192.0