RESCUE Open Meeting to Discuss a Response to the Possibly Unfolding Heritage Crisis
Archaeology - its all about all of us!
- Archaeology has a broad basis, both functionally and its value to individuals, groups and society. As such, it is very hard to describe or pull it under one body.
Some individuals left the recent Current Archaeology Conference feeling dispirited at the fragmented nature of the arguments outlined by the parties present (IfA, CBA, Heritage Alliance, Andrew Selkirk for CA).
In addition, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee strongly criticised the Govt's approach to heritage and praised the work of the now defunct Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, dissolved in 'the Bonfire of the Quangos'. Also of note is the Tory Party's pre-election Green Paper which identified the deregulation of the planning process relating to industrial buildings as an easy way to encourage development. Thus conversion of one supermarket store to another could occur easily but it could also mean that a former mill building of archaeological interest could be converted to an industrial premises without any requirement to record it.
As a result of dialogue and AB's open letter in BritArch, the genesis of this campaign was formed. The name is both personal and yet unspecific and is accompanied by a fairly obvious marketing image in Mortimer Wheeler's face and quotes. It can mean nothing in itself but can be filled with whatever connotations people wish to add, although the aim and method are more important than the name.
The aim of this campaign would be to generate public support for archaeology rather than to educate the public about the many and varied specifics of the heritage sector.
One difficulty with instigating the campaign may lie within the commercial sector. Archaeology businesses might tacitly support the aims of the campaign but not wish to outwardly support it as it could cut into their commercial interests and conflict with their client relationships. Individually, commercial archaeologists can be very cynical of attempts to capitalise on their support (see the failure of the IfA in gaining grass-roots support within the profession). Generating support for and disseminating a message through commercial archaeologists would probably require progressive individual action amongst a core group of diggers to encourage more to take on the message of the campaign. This could create a fractious situation with some employers and colleagues.
Archaeology - its all about all of us!
- Archaeology has a broad basis, both functionally and its value to individuals, groups and society. As such, it is very hard to describe or pull it under one body.
Some individuals left the recent Current Archaeology Conference feeling dispirited at the fragmented nature of the arguments outlined by the parties present (IfA, CBA, Heritage Alliance, Andrew Selkirk for CA).
- Andy Brockman and others began discussing the situation, keeping it as a small group to get things done and are now beginning to expand the discussion (CBA, BAJR etc).
- They identified that archaeology has an image problem (see Bonekickers - a fictional creation aimed at the public in which only one individual of the central four bares any resemblance to what the public would otherwise think of as an archaeologist - an alcoholic with an Indiana Jones style hat and a dusty-library fetish).
- This comes at a time when archaeology experienced a 7.6% decrease in numbers of archaeological posts in the UK in the final six months of 2010 and a >20% reduction in funding streams available (see Landward survey for IfA and FAME).
In addition, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee strongly criticised the Govt's approach to heritage and praised the work of the now defunct Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, dissolved in 'the Bonfire of the Quangos'. Also of note is the Tory Party's pre-election Green Paper which identified the deregulation of the planning process relating to industrial buildings as an easy way to encourage development. Thus conversion of one supermarket store to another could occur easily but it could also mean that a former mill building of archaeological interest could be converted to an industrial premises without any requirement to record it.
- The CM&S Select Committee identified that heritage tourism alone contributes ?7.4 billion to the UK economy (?20.6 billion with multipliers such as suppliers).
- The membership of the NT, EH, RSPB, CBA et al suggests an enormous support-base for heritage in the UK, albeit covered by a fragmented array of organisations.
As a result of dialogue and AB's open letter in BritArch, the genesis of this campaign was formed. The name is both personal and yet unspecific and is accompanied by a fairly obvious marketing image in Mortimer Wheeler's face and quotes. It can mean nothing in itself but can be filled with whatever connotations people wish to add, although the aim and method are more important than the name.
The aim of this campaign would be to generate public support for archaeology rather than to educate the public about the many and varied specifics of the heritage sector.
- The intention is to produce an immediate response to threats to archaeology from a public level (a groundswell of public opinion).
- Once we have engaged the public and decision makers, the specialist groups can move in to educate on specific issues.
- If the Mortimer campaign can be adopted across the country, it can provide a network where threats to archaeology on a specific (a particular site), local and regional (funding of community projects, local authority posts) and threats at a national level (deregulation of the planning process) can be identified and responses formed rapidly, mobilising local and regional support.
- By linking up with complimentary interest groups (e.g. RSPB and others) and introducing mutually supportive relationships, this localised and regional response can be quickly boosted.
- This will also pull archaeology and heritage firmly into the environment which is better understood by the public and may induce a better groundswell of public support when dealing with issues like the planning process as well as increasing the ability to respond locally.
- 38 Degrees' woodlands campaign hardly mentioned archaeology and access to heritage, yet access and environmental issues led to >500,000 signatures on the online petition within a relatively short space of time.
- The Mortimer team wish to have some form of network in place to embark on a publicity campaign before the local elections in May. This requires a rapid uptake and dissemination of the necessary information and support. A website (www.msite.org.uk) for this purpose should be up and running in the next few days.
One difficulty with instigating the campaign may lie within the commercial sector. Archaeology businesses might tacitly support the aims of the campaign but not wish to outwardly support it as it could cut into their commercial interests and conflict with their client relationships. Individually, commercial archaeologists can be very cynical of attempts to capitalise on their support (see the failure of the IfA in gaining grass-roots support within the profession). Generating support for and disseminating a message through commercial archaeologists would probably require progressive individual action amongst a core group of diggers to encourage more to take on the message of the campaign. This could create a fractious situation with some employers and colleagues.