25th September 2008, 01:44 PM
Regional frameworks are generally pretty good and make life easier when you're on unfamiliar ground. However, they can't be relied completely.
The one big reservation I have follows oldgirl's point about the need to keep them up to date. What they are is a statement of what the archaeological community considers interesting at the time of writing. As such, they principally represent the views of an invited panel of specialists, each with their own research interests. The danger is that rather than promoting research, they actually make it much harder to argue that something not previously considered interesting is actually very important. Most of the agendas I've seen are valiant attempts by specialists to look beyond their personal interests, but as ever, things that might be considered 'fringe' can be ignored.
Consultation and review are the key, but how often are these things going to be reviewed? Theoretically continuously, but it's hard to see how that will be disseminated. It took at least 25 years (sorry I can't remember the dates) to update the first research agenda published in the north east, and the consensus was that that was pretty quick, if well overdue...
The one big reservation I have follows oldgirl's point about the need to keep them up to date. What they are is a statement of what the archaeological community considers interesting at the time of writing. As such, they principally represent the views of an invited panel of specialists, each with their own research interests. The danger is that rather than promoting research, they actually make it much harder to argue that something not previously considered interesting is actually very important. Most of the agendas I've seen are valiant attempts by specialists to look beyond their personal interests, but as ever, things that might be considered 'fringe' can be ignored.
Consultation and review are the key, but how often are these things going to be reviewed? Theoretically continuously, but it's hard to see how that will be disseminated. It took at least 25 years (sorry I can't remember the dates) to update the first research agenda published in the north east, and the consensus was that that was pretty quick, if well overdue...