Sowing Seeds of Success: The Politics of Mentorship, Representation, and Cultivating BIPOC Archaeologists

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeology in Color: Undergraduate Voices on Their Time in the Discipline" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Despite facing a lack of representation in the field and in the classroom, BIPOC students are expected to navigate the field through merits that must outpace their white peers to be respected, or by the support of peer -rather than mentor- networks. Case in point: this symposium was conceived through the collaboration of undergraduate students, receiving no guidance from mentors or faculty members. Mentorship is a cornerstone of success for entering academia, and its absence from so many archaeology programs perpetuates the inaccessibility of the discipline for students. In this paper, I will discuss the strengths and shortcomings of mentorship practices in higher education utilizing current university policies, existing pedagogical frameworks, and the personal experiences of myself and peers. I will explore the ways that mentorship benefits students and contributes to their learning experience, from providing tailored advice for locating fieldwork opportunities, to building substantial professional connections. Finally, I will propose strategies and solutions for institutions that stimulate meaningful mentorship not only for students of color, but for all students. By examining ways in which BIPOC archaeologists in training can be uplifted in the discipline, we open the field to more diverse perspectives, and holistic understandings of the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Archaeology in Color: Undergraduate Voices on Their Time in the Discipline

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52350