Community archaeology

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Community archaeology is archaeology by the people for the people. The field is also, more commonly, known as public archaeology. It is empowered by the idea that within a locality there will be many people interested and excited by the material cultureof the past the past which lies beneath their streets, houses, gardens, workplaces and is scattered across fields and woodlands.

History

Community archaeology has existed for many years, although only recently has it come to be known by that name. The roots of archaeology lie in the tradition of antiquarian and amateur work, and many county or locally-based archaeology and history societies founded over a century ago have continued to enable the involvement of local people in archaeology. Up until the 1970s volunteers often had opportunities to initiate or take part in archaeological investigations. Since then the recognition that more investigations were required by the subsequent establishment of archaeological units eroded some of these opportunities; more significantly the introduction of archaeology to the legalities of the planning process through Planning Policy Guidance note 16 (PPG16) and the full professionalization of archaeology, has made public participation in archaeology extremely limited.

Archaeology (including historic buildings, landscapes and monuments, as well as ‘traditional’ archaeology) is about people and the discovery of the past. As a subject, archaeology has been increasingly brought into the public eye in recent years.

Public Participation

Community archaeology projects flourish when local people get involved in exploring and discovering their historic environment. This can happen at several different levels and in numerous different ways. The most common form of public participation in archaeology comes from the grass roots level. Local groups are smaller than the large, county societies, and operate in their own area and at their own pace. The work produced is often of a high standard, reflecting the amount of time and effort local people are willing to put in to local projects they themselves initiated.

On another level, public participation can mean local people taking part in training excavations. This type of involvement results in a hands-on learning experience in archaeological techniques, which leaves the participant with new skills and a sense of achievement at the end of it. Public lectures, site tours and open days at sites on which fieldwork is being carried out provide an educational experience for the passive consumer, but do not allow people to participate actively in the fieldwork itself. It is the physical, hands-on process of discovery that many people want to take part in, and there appears to be no substitute that will satisfy.

Increasingly, over the last two decades, public participation has been pushed aside by developer-led, commercial archaeology, with the bulk of work going to contracting units. The reasons behind this relate to the professionalization of the discipline and the implementation of PPG16, as discussed by Morris (1998), and more recently by Faulkner (2000; 2002) who proposed a return to community-led archaeology in his article entitled “Archaeology from below”.

A recent investigation carried out by the Council for British Archaeology (Farley 2003) identified the main perceived barriers to public participation, gave examples of good practice in encouraging public participation, and made several recommendations for future improvements. Its first recommendation was the establishment of full-time Community Archaeologist posts across the country, as it states, “such dedicated posts represent a very effective way of stimulating and guiding public participation at a local level” (ibid, 14). Those posts that already exist, and the benefits they have brought to their local communities, are highlighted below.

The Valletta Convention concerns the work of non-official or amateur groups who have been, or are, investigating their local historic environment. The European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (Revised) (Council of Europe 1992) was signed in Valletta in 1992, and ratified by the UK government before coming into force on 21st March 2001 (http://www.britarch.ac.uk/valletta/). Article 3 of the document caused considerable debate as it stated that all archaeological work should be carried out by suitably qualified, authorised people (Current Archaeology 2001a; 2001b). This form of ‘licensing’ for archaeologists already exists on the continent, where it has crippled the work of voluntary archaeologists and local societies. While the government recognises that this is not the best way forward for British archaeology, which has a long tradition of community involvement, it is proposing that guidelines be drawn up by English Heritage, the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA) and the Council for British Archaeology. These guidelines will undoubtedly be of use in the future for Community Archaeology groups and for Community Archaeologists.

One of the longest running and most successful community archaeology projects is based in Leicestershire (Schadla-Hall, forthcoming). Leicestershire County Council (which incorporates the museum service) established the project in 1976 and today they have 400 members within 20 local groups across the county. Peter Liddle (Keeper of Archaeology) is the Community Archaeologist and was probably the first to use the term ‘community archaeology’ as the title for his fieldworker’s handbook (Liddle 1985).

Other Community Archaeology Projects

• Community Archaeology Forum - help, information & guidance from the Council for British Archaeology
• A Community Archaeology project in York
• communityarchaeology.co.uk A number of community archaeology projects based in North Yorkshire with professional expertise provided by Kevin Cale
• communitynature.co.uk A community nature and heritage project based at Studfold Farm, Upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire with professional advice provided by Nigel Heptinstall
• Leicestershire project
• Cambridgeshire course
• Shropshire information
• Binghamton, NY academic program
• Baltimore, MD academic program

See also

List of community topics
Community Engagement
Community development
Community building
Community economic development
Community practice
Community service