TAG2019-UCL

The delivery of the archaeological experience to society, while well-intentioned, remains largely and fundamentally undemocratic: community projects organised on a top-down basis; professional and academic archaeologists as self-imposed historical gatekeepers; and dominant historical narratives preserved by professionals and delivered to the public, with limited
opportunity for personal engagement or interpretation (including ongoing inaccessibility of conferences to laypeople)! In the current climate of religious and political extremism, refugee crises, media manipulation, and climate collapse, living our lives on a historically informed basis is more important than ever.

We propose that in order for archaeology to truly serve the interests and expectations of communities, its practice should embrace a more politically-aware approach, as offered by a more radical archaeology. The definition of radical is “…of change or action: going to the root or origin; touching upon or affecting what is fundamental; thorough, far-reaching; revolutionary” (OED). This house proposes revisiting and revitalising the concept of radical archaeology, as previously outlined by the Radical Archaeology Forum, Archaeologists Against War and Archaeologists for Global Justice. Can we construct a truly democratic and participatory practice, while excluding discriminatory views? Does the layperson have every right to interpret the past subjectively, or should we impose limits?

We propose a panel discussion with speakers providing different viewpoints, and discussion from the floor. This panel intends to spark debate about the political state of archaeology today and its implications, and how we might revolutionise archaeological practice to prevent stagnation and promote socio-intellectual equality.

Organisers: Rebecca Hearne; University of Sheffield • Umberto Albarella; University of Sheffield

13:30 | Umberto Albarella, University of Sheffield | Why radical archaeology

13:45 | Rebecca Hearne, University of Sheffield | The Archaeological Imagination: radical archaeology and mental health recovery

14:00 | Alexander Aston, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford | Against the Curio Cabinet and towards a Storied Past

14:15 | Caitlin Kitchener, University of York | Martyrs for the Cause: A radical archaeology built on historical radicalism

14:30 | Brian Broadrose, UMass Dartmouth |

14:45 | Umberto Albarella, University of Sheffield; Rebecca Hearne, University of Sheffield | Free-flowing general discussion chaired by session organisers

15:10 | - | BREAK

15:40 | Umberto Albarella, University of Sheffield; Rebecca Hearne, University of Sheffield | Free-flowing general discussion chaired by session organisers

17:00 | - | END

Community archaeology isn’t, and never should be, a box ticking exercise, a bolt-on to existing projects. It’s about keeping archaeology in the public psyche, inspiring the next generation of curious minds, keeping heritage and history relevant whilst acknowledging its inherently political nature. It’s about giving all of our fieldwork and research a relatable element, a touchstone to current community life that anchors it to ideas of belonging, identity, self, and cultural heritage. Community archaeology is as much about the future as it is the past – it ensures a future for heritage and for archaeological services. As budgets get tighter and funding gets scarcer, we need the public. The public, in turn need us – archaeology and heritage can provide opportunities for communities to form thriving hubs of culture, arts, and collaboration in the face of cuts to services and facilities. Beyond that, research is emerging into health and wellbeing outcomes of being involved in archaeology - tangible, quantifiable benefits that need strong further research and evaluation.We can provide a space for wellbeing to flourish, curiosity to be sparked, the incredible research and hard work of all archaeologists to be enjoyed and engaged with by a diverse audience. This session invites anyone working, volunteering, or researching community archaeology, public heritage, museums outreach and related fields. The format is of a workshop. We invite speakers to bring short activities - creative, playful, experimental - that the workshop participants can undertake and evaluate. We encourage submissions from individuals at any stage in their career.

Organisers: Penelope Foreman; Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust • Penelope Foreman; Enabled Archaeology • Hanna Marie Pageau; University of Cardiff • Lara Band; MOLA • William Rathouse; MOLA • Gavin MacGregor; University of Glasgow

9:30 | Penelope Foreman, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust; Penelope Foreman, Enabled Archaeology | What is Commuity Archaeology for?

9:40 | Poppy Hodkinson, Cardiff University | STEM and Archaeology in UK Primary Schools

10:00 | Aaron Clarke, LP Archaeology | Playful People – Actual Artefacts

10:20 | Session organisers | Open Play!

11:20 | - | BREAK

11:50 | Claire Walton, Butser Ancient Farm | Butser Ancient Farm and Wessex Archaeology: Engaging communities through experimental archaeology.

12:10 | William Rathouse, MOLA | Archaeology for Mental Health and Well-Being: Two Models

12:30 | Penelope Foreman, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust; Penelope Foreman, Enabled Archaeology | Discussion

13:00 | - | END

The work we undertake as archaeologists and curators of archaeological collections has the potential to be of great social value. Archaeology can have a positive effect on individual and collective wellbeing, contributing to the construction of identity, social connectivity, a sense of belonging and collective empowerment. However, these wellbeing effects vary between demographic groups. Up until the mid-20th century, Archaeology played an important role in the justification of colonial conquest by state and religious actors, the enactment of violent control, and the appropriation of the past of other countries. Through discourse of civilization and origins, Archaeology was used in the construction of European identity and of superiority. Colonial ideas continue to persist within academia (content and pedagogy), within the wider profession, and in museum practices. They are used to justify archaeological projects abroad, and they influence research frameworks and project designs in the UK. Cobb’s Digging Diversity research (2012; 2015) highlights the lack diversity within academia and the profession. As such, diverse perspectives and interpretations of archaeological evidence are excluded, and there is a distinct lack of representation within the stories we tell publicly.This session will discuss and explore: how the histories of colonialism and empire are reflected in archaeology, academia, archaeological practice, and museum collections and archives; diverse perspectives and re/interpretations of archaeological evidence; new approaches and examples of good practice.

References:
Cobb, H. L. 2012. ‘Digging diversity? A preliminary examination of disciplinary diversity in UK archaeology’, Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory.
Cobb, H. L. 2015. ‘A diverse profession? Challenging inequalities and diversifying involvement in British archaeology’, in P. Everill and P. Irving (eds.) Rescue Archaeology: Foundations for the Future, 226-245. Hereford: RESCUE.

Organisers: Benjamina Dadzie; Independent Researcher • Laura Hampden; Museum Detox • Laura Hampden; Historic England, Museum Detox, CIfA Equality and Diversity Group

9:30 | Laura Hampden, Museum Detox; Laura Hampden, Historic England, Museum Detox, CIfA Equality and Diversity Group | Introduction

9:35 | Louise Fowler, MOLA | Where does archaeology take place?

9:55 | Cathie Draycott, Durham University | Investigating Intersections of Race and Public Perceptions of Archaeology: a pilot survey run in Bermuda, 2019

10:15 | Gert Huskens, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Ghent University | A ‘Belgian compromise’ of Science and Empire along the Nile

10:35 | Zena Kamash, Royal Holloway University; Cathie Draycott, Durham University; Niall Finneran, University of Winchester; Christina Welch, University of Winchester | Panel

11:05 | Dan Hicks, University of Oxford | Seeing the Pace of Violence in Theoretical Archaeology

11:25 | - | BREAK

11:55 | Elizabeth Marlowe, Colgate University | How to Say Nothing: A Case Study of the Museum Labels on Some Looted Bronzes

12:10 | Danika Parikh, University of Cambridge | From accession to access: decolonising archaeological collections through critical tours and audience engagement

12:25 | Subhadra Das, UCL & Museum Detox Member; Korantema Anyimadu, Arts Emergency Museum Detox Member; Jenny Williams, Take the Space; Ebony Francis, Diary of a Black Tree | Panel Discussion

13:00 | - | END

The study of the past is currently experiencing a spatial and sensory turn, affecting the work of prehistorians, classical, medieval, and historical archaeologists alike. Across disciplines sensory archaeology allows us to engage with, and challenge, our knowledge of the past through experience and experimentation. Despite the benefits and a growing number of approaches developed by specialists in different fields, attempts to develop a diachronic conversation on the matter have been limited. The aim of this session is to bring together scholars from a variety of backgrounds to create a lively and challenging setting to discuss new theoretical and methodological approaches to sensory archaeology. By exploring an interdisciplinary and cross-period consensus, this session aims to advance the ongoing debate about the potential of this relatively new discipline to engage with specific themes across space and time.The session draws upon three themes across any period; Experiences of ‘Body', ‘Place' and ‘Materials', as well as engaging with the conference’s broader theme; Power, Knowledge and the Past. The session will adopt a mixed format consisting of traditional presentations, followed by a ‘hands-on’ session with multiple participants demonstrating a sensory approach. Participants will be able to interact with different materials across several tables to allow for a sensory experience within the session.

Organisers: Nicky Garland; Newcastle University • Dr Giacomo Savani; University College Dublin • Adam Parker (PhD Candidate); Open University

14:00 | Nicky Garland, Newcastle University; Adam Parker (PhD Candidate), Open University; Dr Giacomo Savani, University College Dublin | Introduction

14:05 | Dr Kelly Britt, Brooklyn College, CUNY | Somatic Mapping: Historic Landscapes Empowering Future Communities

14:30 | Dr Dan Stewart, School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester | The Power of Place in Greek Archaeology: The Impact of Text on Sensory Experience

14:55 | Andrew Watson (PhD Candidate), University of Glasgow | Archaeology of the past, present and future!

15:20 | Adam Parker (PhD Candidate), Open University; Dr Erica Rowan, Royal Holloway, University of London; Nicholas Groat (PhD Student), Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield; Chloe Clark (Phd Candidate), Kings College London | Workshops: 1) Jet-Set: Sensory experiences of Whitby Jet in Britain 2) Eating Saturnalia: Authenticity and Seasonality 3) The essence of experience: exploring a sensory approach to early distillation practices 4) Colour of the dead

15:40 | - | BREAK

16:00 | Adam Parker (PhD Candidate), Open University; Dr Erica Rowan, Royal Holloway, University of London; Nicholas Groat (PhD Student), Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield; Chloe Clark (Phd Candidate), Kings College London | Workshops continued

16:25 | Prof. Sue Hamilton, Institute of Archaeology, UCL; Prof. Ruth Whitehouse, Institute of Archaeology, UCL | Revisiting Sacred and Profane: ‘domain change’ in south Italian prehistory

16:50 | Chloe Clark, Kings College London | Colour of the dead

17:15 | Nicky Garland, Newcastle University; Adam Parker (PhD Candidate), Open University; Dr Giacomo Savani, University College Dublin | Final Discussion

17:30 | - | END

2017 saw the publication of Mary Beard’s bestseller Women and Power, and the explosion of the #MeToo movement across social media. Billed as a manifesto, Beard’s book takes a historical approach rather than explicitly outlining inclusive and intersectional practical steps for supporting women’s power in modern, multi-vocal archaeology. There is clearly a pressing need now to move beyond conversations about women*’s experiences of archaeology both in and outside of the academy and look for concrete action. This is most keenly needed at intersections of class, race, sexuality, dis/ability, and in the experience of people identifying as non-binary or trans.

There has now been more than a decade of studies including gender feminist theorisations of the past as well as surveys of the profession providing the data that show change is urgently required. This was pioneered by the British Women Archaeologists group, but today numerous other organisations are working toward positive change in the discipline. This includes CIfA’s Equality and Diversity Group, Enabled Archaeology, BAJR RESPECT campaign, and Women’s Classical Committee while TrowelBlazers have raised the profile of women in archaeology more widely. Some informal actions have taken place including the establishment of a Mentoring group on Facebook, but now is the time for institutions and employers to step up and effect real change.

This session is aimed at bringing together many voices to speak, and to listen. The panel will include representatives from a number of groups for an open discussion chaired by Trowelblazers examining the following questions:

• What is the historical context of women’s success in archaeology?
• What are remaining barriers to inclusion?
• What current practices are working and can be built on, particularly those that ensure work to promote women is itself inclusive?

Following this we will outline a draft best practice document containing actionable steps which organisations can use to make more radical and meaningful changes to attract, support and retain women in archaeological careers.
As an inspiring case study we will open the session by screening a short documentary on the role of women within a conflict archaeology research collective.
We look forward to a challenging, open and productive session.


Organisers: Penny Coombe; University of Oxford • Cecilia Dal Zovo; CSIC • Beth Hodgett; Birkbeck College, University of London & Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.

14:00 | Session organisers | Introduction

14:10 | Rebeca Blanco-Rotea, G.I. Síncrisis, University of Santiago de Compostela; Sara Traba, Independent Researcher | Conflict Archaeology: an audiovisual project on the invisibility of women in certain archaeologies

14:40 | Becky Wragg Sykes, Independent scholar / Trowelblazers; Brenna Hassett, UCL; Suzanne Pilaar Birch, Trowelblazers; Victoria Herridge, Trowelblazers; Anne Teather, British Women Archaeologists (BWA); Rachel Pope, British Women Archaeologists (BWA) and University of Liverpool; Laura Hampden, Museum Detox; Laura Hampden, Historic England, Museum Detox, CIfA Equality and Diversity Group; Hannah Cobb, University of Manchester; Penelope Foreman, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust; Penelope Foreman, Enabled Archaeology | Open Workshop participant

15:20 | - | BREAK

15:50 | Becky Wragg Sykes, Independent scholar / Trowelblazers; Brenna Hassett, UCL; Suzanne Pilaar Birch, Trowelblazers; Victoria Herridge, Trowelblazers; Anne Teather, British Women Archaeologists (BWA); Rachel Pope, British Women Archaeologists (BWA) and University of Liverpool; Laura Hampden, Museum Detox; Laura Hampden, Historic England, Museum Detox, CIfA Equality and Diversity Group; Hannah Cobb, University of Manchester; Penelope Foreman, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust; Penelope Foreman, Enabled Archaeology | Open Workshop participant

17:30 | - | END

This session's genesis was a RESPECT forum conversation on the silencing of “emotional” women during debates, as often emotional reactions are perceived as irrational rather than calm and rational. Where there is power imbalance, the voices of marginalised groups can be dismissed for displaying emotional responses, but these responses are incredibly powerful, challenging to witness and can prompt real change. The Equality Act (2010) defines a series of Protected Characteristics - age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion/belief, sex and sexual orientation, which it is illegal to discriminate against yet all of these characteristics to a greater or lesser extent remain marginalised within academic debate and within the archaeological/heritage professions. This matters when examining power, knowledge and the past. Individual emotive responses are all different in the same scenario - a product of upbringing, societal pressures, gender etc. How can we reframe emotion within our own experience in order to reach a level of understanding if not empathy? How can we empower more open, frank and emotional discussions which allow more voices to be heard? How are we constrained by current accepted practice of debate? We invite papers on complex and emotive issues and emphasise that this is a space where emotive responses are welcome and part of the discussion. This session is an open forum for examining responses to issues that need emotion, human behaviour and human instinct to examine them critically and effectively..

Organisers: Cat Rees; RESPECT • Penelope Foreman; Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust • Penelope Foreman; Enabled Archaeology • Kayt Hawkins; Archaeology South-East and UCL • Aisling Nash; Independent Researcher

9:30 | Kayt Hawkins, Archaeology South-East and UCL | Emotion in Archaeology

9:40 | Cat Rees, RESPECT | Passing the baton: enabled archaeology as the norm, not the exception

10:05 | Guillermo Diaz de Liano del Valle, University of Edinburgh; Jorge Canosa Betés, Institute of Heritage Sciences, Spanish National Research Council | Disciplining the self: emotions as gatekeeping mechanisms in Archaeology

10:30 | Anouk E. Everts MPhil, University of Cologne | Lifting Isis’ Skirt: Terracotta Figurines in their Sexual Context

10:55 | - | BREAK

11:25 | D. Kalani Heinz, University of California, Los Angeles | We are Mauna Kea: Emotionally-driven archaeology as a tool for decolonization

11:50 | Session organisers |

12:00 | Session organisers |

13:00 | - | END

Publishers and editors together form one of the most powerful gate-keeping groups in archaeology and academia more broadly. In this session, we invite authors, editors and publishers to discuss the power imbalances in publishing practices, both in the current landscape of neo-liberal universities and throughout the professionalization of archaeology during the twentieth century, and to explore what measures can be employed to bring about more publishing parity. Potential topics for discussion include:

Diversity
How can we ensure that under-represented groups have equal access to publishing?
What data exist to explore issues of diversity amongst e.g. authors, editorial boards, reviewers, commissioning editors etc?
What are the relationships between moves to ‘decolonise’ curricula and publishing?
Are there models and approaches in different disciplines from which archaeology might learn?

Open Access (including, but not exclusively, Plan S)
What might an Open Access future look like for archaeology?
Would an Open Access future entrench current power imbalances or bring about more equality?
Are there different sets of issues for e.g. journal and book publishing?
To what extent might this be driven by current or future REF plans?

Data sharing
Who has financial access to digital repositories such as the Archaeology Data Service?
How do issues of career precarity link to data sharing?
In what ways and to what extent are senior gate-keepers in journals playing a role in improving data sharing?

Language
There are significant access problems around language – are there potential tech solutions to these issues?
Canon vs textbooks vs public-facing (trade) books
Who gets to write the key parts of the canon?
Are textbooks and public-facing (trade) books of more importance for wider communication of archaeology?
But under-respected within academia?
What are the relationships between publication venue, publication format, accessibility and curriculum development?
What are the power networks controlling inclusion or exclusion from reading lists?

Organisers: Lisa Lodwick; University of Oxford • Zena Kamash; Royal Holloway University

9:30 | Zena Kamash, Royal Holloway University; Lisa Lodwick, University of Oxford | Publishing Power: the power nexus in 21st century academic publishing

9:40 | Amara Thornton, University of Reading | Canonising Archaeology? a publishing history

10:00 | Andrew Reinhard, American Numismatic Society | How to Publish Original Archaeological Research without Paying Open Access Fees

10:20 | Leah Hewerdine, Royal Holloway | Breaking down the barriers in grey literature and publications

10:40 | Usama Gad, Ain Shams University | Eurocentrism In Print And Digital Papyrology:
Decolonizing A Troubled Archive And A Narrative Of Knowledge And Power

11:00 | Elizabeth Brophy, John Wiley & Sons Ltd | Thinking about Open Research: Accessibility, Transparency, and Impact

11:20 | - | BREAK

11:50 | Daniel Stansbie, Cotswold Archaeology | Open access, open data, open standards (?): sharing data generated through developer funded archaeology in the United Kingdom

12:10 | Meredith Carroll, Manchester University Press; Daniel Stansbie, Cotswold Archaeology; Luiseach Nic Eoin, Nature; Leah Hewerdine, Royal Holloway; Andrew Reinhard, American Numismatic Society | Panel discussion

13:00 | - | END

As more marginalised people are making their way into Archaeology we are coming to terms more with how those people are not represented in our research. Until more recently, the past has been written as though these people did not exist in the past. Increasingly, we are becoming aware that they did, but have been largely erased in archaeological narratives. Examples include the lack of discussion of gender beyond the Western binary, erasing homosexual relationships and gender dysphoria, erasing gendered bodily experiences (such as menstruation and menopause) and ‘whitewashing’ experiences of people of colour. This session invites discussion into research on erased people or practices that explores why this has happened and continues to happen. We invite short position papers proposing ways forward to redress these imbalances, with a focus on the ethics of such archaeological practice.

Organisers: Miller Power; Durham University • Zena Kamash; Royal Holloway University

14:00 | Zena Kamash, Royal Holloway University | Introduction

14:10 | Louise Fowler, MOLA | Gideon Mendel in Calais: what are the ethical implications?

14:20 | Iida Käyhkö, Royal Holloway, University of London | Truth to Power

14:30 | Henrietta Ali Ahmed, Royal Holloway | The Archaeology of Uncertainty

14:40 | Louise Fowler, MOLA; Iida Käyhkö, Royal Holloway, University of London; Henrietta Ali Ahmed, Royal Holloway | Panel Discussion 1

15:30 | - | BREAK

16:00 | Heba Abd El Gawad, Durham University | “So you think you are reconnecting local communities with their heritage? Well it’s you who is disconnected!!!”

16:10 | Laura Hampden, Museum Detox; Laura Hampden, Historic England, Museum Detox, CIfA Equality and Diversity Group | Black Women in the Archaeological Record.

16:20 | D. Kalani Heinz, University of California, Los Angeles | No Hetero!: Making way for alternative ways of knowing within archaeology

16:30 | Miller Power, Durham University | Theorising Queers in the Roman World

16:40 | Heba Abd El Gawad, Durham University; Laura Hampden, Museum Detox; Laura Hampden, Historic England, Museum Detox, CIfA Equality and Diversity Group; D. Kalani Heinz, University of California, Los Angeles; Miller Power, Durham University | Panel Discussion 2

17:30 | - | END