Beyond Extractive Practice

Bioarchaeology, Geoarchaeology and Human Palaeoecology for the People

Bibliographic Data

ID12590996
AuthorsMatthew Law (0000-0002-6127-5353, Bath Spa University, corresponding author)
Year2019
Issue53
Publication date2019-06-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternet Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-5387 • E-ISSN: 1363-5387
PublisherCouncil for British Archaeology (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.11141/ia.53.6
OpenAlexW2952006782
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited15

Too much of the work we might class as environmental archaeology can be characterised as extractive and linear. Samples of interest may be taken from a locality, but the results are seldom shared with people who may have an interest in that locality (beyond the dig director and readers of the subsequent publication), nor is the opportunity given to wider stakeholders to ask questions of the samples and find out about the things that interest them. This article argues that, to borrow the language of sustainability, a more circular and reciprocal approach, founded on wider community engagement, is in our best interest. Results of two surveys are presented. The first asked community archaeology groups in the UK about their experiences with experts in biological remains and archaeological soils and sediments. The second asked some of those very experts about their experiences of community engagement and co-creation, both in the UK and on international projects. Springing from this, an agenda is presented for a more inclusive, and more sustainable, bioarchaeology, geoarchaeology and human palaeoecology

Archaeology · Bioarchaeology · Geoarchaeology · Geography · Paleoecology · Geographies of human-animal interactions · History · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Paleopathology and ancient diseases · Geology · Paleontology

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