Living Communities and Their Archaeologies in the Middle East

Living Communities and Their Archaeologies in the Middle East 

Rick Bonnie, Marta Lorenzon, Suzie Thomas (eds.) 

This volume presents theoretical ideas, case studies, and reflective insights on community archaeology across the Middle East, with contributions by scholars working in and from Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria. The chapters represent a multitude of insights from contemporary public archaeology practice—drawing on theoretical frameworks and discussing the realities of challenges and opportunities presented by opening up archaeological experiences to wider publics in different social and political settings.

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.

Chapters

• Living Communities and Their Archaeologies in the Middle East: An Introduction

  Rick Bonnie et al.

• Do Communities Have a Role in Community Archaeology in Jordan?

  Maria Elena Ronza

• Safeguarding, Enhancing and Managing Archaeological Heritage and Museums in Iraq: The Contribution of the EDUU Project

  Federico Zaina et al.

• Bourdieu’s Fields and Capital in Community Archaeology: An Example from Jordan

  Päivi Miettunen

• A New Approach to Community Archaeology in the Israel Antiquities Authority: A View from the Northern Region

  Einat Ambar-Armon

• Community Archaeology at Tell Balata, Palestine

  Hamdan Taha & Gerrit van der Kooij

• Collaboration and Multivocality in Heritage and Museum Practice: Lessons from Jordan

  Arwa Badran et al.

• Enriching Cultural Heritage User Experiences through 3D Interpretive Models at Tafilah and Jerash, Jordan

  Safa’ Joudeh & Marta Lorenzon

• Urkesh Community Archaeology Project: A Sustainable Model from Syria

  Giorgio Buccellati & Hiba Qassar

• Afterword: On Ethics, Cultural Capital and Sustainability

  Rick Bonnie et al.

License

This book is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial 4.0 license. Copyright is retained by the author(s)

Peer Review Information

This book has been peer reviewed. See our Peer Review Policies for more information.

Additional Information

Published on Sept. 29, 2023

Language

English

Pages:

286

ISBN

PDF	978-952-369-086-8

DOI
https://doi.org/10.33134/HUP-19