Additional Information

Available Through

Taylor and Francis Online

Language

English

Notes

Abstract: Community is a key concept that shapes how we approach our relationships with other individuals and groups. In this article, the author reviews how scholars and laypeople alike use the concept of ‘community’ in both theoretical and applied contexts. What do heritage professionals expect from the communities with whom they work? How do these communities define and constitute themselves? The answers to such questions have broad implications for the way that scholars interact and collaborate with stakeholders. Examples are presented from the author’s archaeological projects at sites associated with communities in the African diaspora that illustrate the importance of an explicit and critical approach to the idea of ‘community’. The discussion concludes with preliminary findings from an investigation of the meanings of community among black Chicagoans in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Taxonomies

RPA Codes & Standards

• Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public

CIfA Codes

• Principle 2: Responsibility for the conservation of the historic environment
• Principle 5: Recognition of aspirations of employees, colleagues and helpers in all matters of employment

Keywords & Terms

• Accountability
• Consultation/Partnership with Affected Groups
• Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
• Integrity of Research Methodology and Field Procedures
• Management of Cultural Resources, Heritage, History
• Public Interest, Collaboration, Education, and Outreach
• Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups

Topics & Issues

• Collaboration in Archaeology (i.e. Communities, Non-Archaeologists, etc.)
• Community Archaeology and Participatory Research
• Descendant, Resident, and Stakeholder Communities
• Ethical Responsibilities of Archaeologists
• Heritage Management
• Historical Archaeology
• Interpreting the Past
• Public Engagement, Outreach, and Education
• Public Memory and Public Space
• Race in Archaeology