A history of precarious labor in Dutch archaeology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2968000 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Van Oeveren (0000-0003-2775-8834, Utrecht University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 294-315 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1469-6053 • E-ISSN: 1741-2951 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14696053251368821 |
| OpenAlex | W4413928732 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 22 |
This article critically examines the historical role of economically vulnerable populations in Dutch archaeological fieldwork from the 19th century to the present. It argues that the professionalization and expansion of archaeology in the Netherlands was fundamentally reliant on various forms of precarious labor, from informal 'treasure digging' driven by hunger to institutionalized state-sponsored work relief schemes and, more recently, the competitive commercial sector. This research uncovers a persistent pattern of power imbalances and overlooked human costs. While the Malta Treaty fundamentally altered the field's structure, it has not eradicated this legacy; in many ways, it has simply reconfigured it
Archaeology · Historical archaeology · Labor history · Labor relations · Political science · Post-medieval archaeology · Prehistoric archaeology · Prehistory · Sociology · Anthropology · Cultural History and Identity Formation · Data Analysis and Archiving · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History
Advances in Archaeological Labor Management
In the Shadows of Colonialism
Is Archaeological Data Labor Sustainable? Only through Ethical and Policy Reforms, Open Data Emphases on Public Engagement, and Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Toward More Inclusive Fieldwork
A history of precarious labor in Dutch archaeology
Remembering New Deal Archaeology in the Southeast
A History of Archaeological Thought
Community-Based and Participatory Praxis as Decolonizing Archaeological Methods and the Betrayal of New Research
Why Those Who Shovel Are Silent
Gendering Labour in Palestinian Archaeology, 1890s–1930s
Excavating Archaeological Texts
A Tale of Two Yusifs
A New Deal for Southeastern Archaeology
Labouring in the Fields of the Past
Introduction
A World History of Nineteenth-Century Archaeology
When the Hand that Holds the Trowel is Black
Contract archaeology in Europe
What is Archaeological Ethnography
Towards a New Paradigm? The Third Science Revolution and its Possible Consequences in Archaeology
A history of precarious labor in Dutch archaeology
Conserving the past, mobilizing the Indonesian future
Social Practice, Method, and Some Problems of Field Archaeology
Archaeological encounters
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |