Living Communities and Their Archaeologies in the Middle East
About this ebook
In particular, the volume focuses on the following three themes: (1) defining and reflecting on ‘community’ in community archaeology; (2) which archaeologies to employ in community archaeology; and (3) measuring the success and failure of community archaeology. In addressing these issues, the chapters reflect different historical trajectories and cultures that enable us to find similarities and differences in the theory and practice of community archaeology.
In more recent decades a shift has been noticed among both national authorities and foreign archaeological expeditions, with more emphasis on local heritage experiences. However, this frequently took the form of guiding and introducing communities to ‘their heritage’. Only more recently local voices have become more heard in definitions of heritage and decisions on preservation matters, with more projects tying these voices into their research objectives. This volume presents several projects that combine postcolonial approaches, citizen participation, and community work across the Middle East.
By focusing especially on this geographical area, the volume also reflects upon the current state of public and community archaeology in this unique and complex region, adding to the already rich literature from the rest of the world. The Middle East has a long, fascinating, but also complicated history of archaeological investigation, deeply entrenched in colonization, and more recently in the decolonization process. The involvement and social values of the associated communities have often been overlooked in academic discussions. This book aims to redress that imbalance and present original research that reflects on the work of current scholars and practitioners and draws similarities and differences from diverse cultures.
About the author
Rick Bonnie is University Lecturer in Museology at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and a founding member of the Centre of Excellence in Ancient Near Eastern Empires. His current research interests include museum and heritage ethics, object biographies, decolonisation and provenance issues, museum collection histories, and sensory archaeology. Among other work, Rick recently led a project that engaged communities, through 3D scanning technologies, teaching toolkits and pop-up exhibitions, with archived Middle Eastern objects in Finnish museum collections. Rick has authored and co-edited several books, most recently Working with Cultural Objects and Manuscripts: Provenance, Legality, and Stewardship (Finnish Museums Association, 2020).
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-
Marta Lorenzon (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is an archaeologist and earthen architectural specialist. She is currently an Academy of Finland Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She is also the PI of the projects ‘Building Sustainability’ (UH project 2020–2023), ‘Building in New Lands’ (Kone Foundation, 2022–2026) and ‘EARTH’ (Academy of Finland, 2022–2027). Since 2005 she has worked in the Mediterranean region, the Americas and Asia with a research focus on earthen construction, knowledge of production, identity construction and community archaeology. Her core expertise lies in building archaeology, geoarchaeology and human–environment interactions.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-
Suzie Thomas is Professor of Heritage at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and a member of the Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES) research unit. She has previously worked at the Universities of Helsinki and Glasgow, and prior to her academic career she was Community Archaeology Support Officer at the Council for British Archaeology. Suzie has research and teaching interests in participatory approaches in heritage work, as well as in so-called ‘dark’ or difficult heritage and heritage crime. She is an Associate Member of the Centre of Excellence in Ancient Near Eastern Empires at the University of Helsinki.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-
