CBA Community Archaeology Report

[Unitof1]

[SIZE=3]Slagging off CA excellent
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As I said I don’t know what a CA is or what CA does

The report, it appears set out to define it:

[SIZE=3]APPENDIX 1 COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY SUPPORT OFFICER PROJECT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES,

1. To define ‘Community Archaeology’
a. To analyse, through the relevant literature, criteria for ‘community archaeology’
b. To establish, through the relevant literature, the theoretical framework within which ‘community archaeology’ sits
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as far as I can see the document then forgets to answer …..

[SIZE=3]6. Conclusions
This report has indicated the scale of interest in archaeology within the UK and beyond, by demonstrating the high number of existing archaeological groups and related subject groups, as well as the diversity of activities and interests of those groups. The sheer amount of data collected, through qualitative and quantitative means, is too large to present in full in this report, but forms an important dataset for further analysis,
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whack “community archaeology” in to google books and you find top of list

Y Marshall - World archaeology, 2002 - informaworld.com
Community archaeology, understood as a distinctive set of practices within the wider discipline, is a relatively new development. Its most important distinguishing characteristic is the relinquishing of at least partial control of a project to the local community. ...in my experience anything with marshall involves people of different….

Chuck word Marshall at CBA report bibliography nada.

Anyway whys every body so shy about picking a so called project, we havent got to HLF yet.

[BAJR]

Again... I ask for the point of "picking a so called project" what exactly do you hope to gain... ask the question Is it a positive outcome, will it move forward OR is it just a grumpy old man response and will do nothing other than make you feel better and prove your archaeo-credentials.

Now as to the question what is Community Archaeology .. this should be one for Suzie to answer. She wrote it.... and if you feel that question has not be answered in the report, then I will ask her to reply - that is a worth while question

[Unitof1]

will that answer what a community archaeologist is?

[destroyingangel]

Been away from BAJRFed Forums for a while... see nothing has changed. Maybe Units problem with the term 'Community Archaeology' is that (for him) the two words are mutually exclusive. He may know something about 'archaeology', but it appears he knows nothing about 'community' (or more precisely 'archaeological community')... having been ostracised from the archaeology milieu quite a while back.

Solo worker with axe to grind = Sour Grapes

[Comarch]

will that answer what a community archaeologist is?

Unit has made a useful point - what is CA? That is a question we all have to address and we have to do it individually and as a profession [I still have to use that word even though I think its dubious]. My individual answer is:
Trained archaeologists + public + archaeology (any aspect, including excavation) + specific projects (in commercial sector or research) = knowledge generation - ownership of - leading to 'relevance' (ultimate aim).
Havn't got time to go through all the projects but will pick a couple out soon. Are we not all innocent till proven guilty?
Lets keep personal comments out of it, by the way. Some of you obviously know one another.

[Unitof1]

Do all community archaeology projects have a community archaeologist?

[BAJR]

CA is cheap and irresponsible ego massaging and defiantly undermines professional jobs in archaeology every single time it is funded and it is funded constantly by bodies that take authority away from the profession and we let them to our detriment.

Here is one for you to get going on straight away.

I ran it... so look forward to your comments..

here is the report... of course there was lots more happened, a video, a dance in teh hall, open days, lectures etc...

enjoy

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7378480/Big-Cousland-Dig-2008

crap job? taking money out the mouths of starving archaeologists? removing money that would have been used better to train archaeologists? and worst of all, everyone had fun and went away with a senses of being involved... bring young and old together, communities together and making a real past. As it happens, a planning application went in afterwards for an area that had been looked at... and yes a commercial company went in as well.... but to my knowledge, the community still don't know what was found

[Unitof1]

enjoy
do i have to. It is noted that the "THE"CBA list has been ignored.

Like the picture of kneeling on matts but nottice that you have allowed more than one matt per site.

Heritage Lottery Fund logo- how much?

[Comarch]

Do all community archaeology projects have a community archaeologist?

Another good point. I doubt if all CA projects have a ComArch (we are still rare and precious creatures) on them i.e. someone with experience of doing this sort of thing. But with no training that is how we have to start. Catch 22. I would say that nearly all projects have a dedicated field or ex field archaeologist, or even an academic, running them. How much experience they have in the field is the point I have been banging on about. The Palestinian project on another BAJR thread sounds fantastic but it is directed to a Facebook page indicating it will be instigated by a final year student! A case of the one eyed woman being Queen in the land of the blind? I hope not. Hopefully there are professional archaeologists in the territories who will resist being patronised and told how to dig the British way.

[Comarch]

Havn't ignored it - I'm working as well as doing this!