An Intersectional Approach to Equity, Inequity, and Archaeology: A Pathway through Community

Bibliographic Information

Article Title

An Intersectional Approach to Equity, Inequity, and Archaeology: A Pathway through Community

Journal Title

Advances in Archaeological Practice

Author(s)

Rivera Prince, Jordi A. and Blackwood, Emily M. and Brough, Jason A. and Landázuri, Heather A. and Leclerc, Elizabeth L. and Barnes, Monica and Douglass, Kristina and Gutiérrez, María A. and Herr, Sarah and Maasch, Kirk A. and Sandweiss, Daniel H.

Month of Publication

December

Year of Publication

2022

Volume Number

10

Issue Number

4

Article Pages

382-396

Web Address (URL)

https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2022.26

Additional Information

Language

English

Notes

Abstract

The year 2020 was an awakening for some. For others, it reiterated the persistent social injustice in the United States. Compelled by these events, 30 diverse individuals came together from January to May 2021 for a semester-long seminar exploring inequity in archaeological practice. The seminar's discussions spotlighted the inequity and social injustices that are deeply embedded within the discipline. However, inequity in archaeology is often ignored or treated narrowly as discrete, if loosely bound, problems. A broad approach to inequity in archaeology revealed injustice to be intersectional, with compounding effects. Through the overarching themes of individual, community, theory, and practice, we (a subset of the seminar's participants) explore inequity and its role in various facets of archaeology, including North–South relations, publication, resource distribution, class differences, accessibility, inclusive theories, service to nonarchaeological communities, fieldwork, mentorship, and more. We focus on creating a roadmap for understanding the intersectionality of issues of inequity and suggesting avenues for continued education and direct engagement. We argue that community-building—by providing mutual support and building alliances—provides a pathway for realizing greater equity in our discipline.

 

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