Archaeology as a Tool of Civic Engagement [Paperback]

Archaeology as a Tool of Civic Engagementis an indispensable resource for archaeologists and the communities in which they work. The authors are intensely committed to developing effective models for participating in the civic renewal movement - through active engagement in community life, in development offor interpretive and educational programming, and for in participation in debates and decisions about preservation and community planning. Using case studies from different regions within the United States, Guatemala, Vietnam, Canada, and Eastern Europe, Little and Shackel challenge archaeologists to create an ethical public archaeology that is concerned not just with the management of cultural resources, but with social justice and civic responsibility. Their new book will be a valuable guide for archaeologists, community planners, historians, and museum professionals.Barbara J. Littleis an archaeologist with the National Park Service. She has edited four volumes, includingPublic Benefits of Archaeology(2002), and she is the co-author (with Donald L. Hardesty) ofAssessing Site Significance: A Guide for Archaeologists and Historians(2000).Paul A. Shackelis professor of Anthropology at the University of Maryland and is director of the Center for Heritage Resource Studies. He has edited six volumes and written four books and edited six volumes, includingMemory in Black and White: Race, Commemoration, and the Post-Bellum Landscape(2003).

There is a new kind of public archaeology emerging; one that takes seriously archaeology's potential to understand the past to give a sense of meaning for our future. This work has the familiar goals of inventorying significant sites and doing better archaeology. It also aims to build better communities.Archaeology as a Tool of Civic Engagementprovides us with lessons, sometimes painful and sometimes exhilarating, from some of our most accomplished colleagues, whose research has explÃ&