Who Gets to Be Called a Professional: Gatekeeping and Discrimination in US Archaeology

Summary

This is an abstract from the "United States Archaeology at Crossroads Part 1: The Obstacles, the Failures, and the Victories" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The minimum qualifications of the SOI and the RPA are in place to ensure quality work, but they have not evolved with the needs and actual practices of CRM. They ignore the fact that the bulk of practicing archaeologists do not have master’s degrees and do not recognize the disconnect between the knowledge and skills gained through a master’s degree and the those required in CRM. The RPA could create an alternative solution but it seems to have stalled in those efforts. When doing so could increase their numbers and create critical mass, the organization instead follows the existing SOI standards rather than take the lead it could as the organization representing our professionals. This paper shares the vision that was presented to the RPA and accepted through their Strategic Plan, in the hopes that the larger professional community can weigh the benefits and consequences of this vision, hopefully it overall beneficial, and lobby the RPA to make this vision a priority and lead as our professional representatives rather than follow and perpetuate the gatekeeping and discrimination.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• United States Archaeology at Crossroads Part 1: The Obstacles, the Failures, and the Victories

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52259