The term ‘applied
archaeology’ refers to archaeological work that is done, usually within the
post-processual paradigm, to give a more complete view of the history by representing those who's presence and/or contributions may have previously been left out for
political,
social or personal reasons. Basically the archaeologist uses all of the methods and technologies in his possession, as well as the knowledge of
community members and
descendents of the studied groups, to give voice to the disenfranchised and
help create a 'shared
heritage'. Dr.
Erve Chambers adds to this definition by saying that archaeology becomes ‘applied’ when those outside of archaeology are
engaged. These ‘outsiders’ tend to consist of community members directly affected by or involved with the resource. Because applied archaeology depends upon the engagement of these community members there are two methods of involving them that are often put to use.
The first is the
participatory method, which is pretty much what it sounds like. In this method the community members are invited to
participate in the project. They can do so in numerous ways including acting as
informants or volunteering during excavation as well as by simply
supporting the project. This type of involvement became important during the
Sudley Post Office project, conducted by
Matthew Reeves, when material culture was encountered that fell outside of what was expected. By inquiring in the community and then discovering the
omission by a large number of people – that of the residential existence of the black family at that location - they were able to give voice to a history within the town that had previously been ignored. The thing to remember about this method is that while the community members are invited to participate they have not been involved in the
organization and
development of the project in general.
In opposition to this is the second method, the
collaborative method. In this method the project is collaboration from start to finish, with community members being involved in both the
design of the project and the end
product of it – the conclusions. One technique used to exemplify the
collaborative project is the use of a web site in the
Levi Jordan Plantation project, conducted by
Carol McDavid, which allowed the community members to provide their own interpretations alongside that of the archaeologists. In doing this, the community is able to compare the ‘findings’ of some of its own to that of outsiders, the
archaeologists. They are able to claim ownership for the history of the
plantation, as well as their community, and deal with social ‘hurts’ that are created by it.
Reference
Shackel, Paul, and Erve Chambers, eds. 2004 Places in Mind: Public Archaeology As Applied Anthropology. Routledge: New Ed edition.