Heritage and Society: locating archaeology within world systems for the long-term sustainability of the discipline

Abstract eng:
The concept of sustainability as applied to archaeology focuses on maintaining the finite and fragile fabric of the past in a way deemed to be ‘sustainable’, and more recently finding alternative sources of capital to fund the processes (e.g. preservation, curation and public services) that preserve and make these materials accessible. This work is done under the altruistic ethos of ‘preservation for future generations’, but with issues of gentrification when historic buildings are renovated for reuse as well as a ‘crisis of storage’, the fabric of the past may be ‘sustained’ (or rather maintained), but this can have negative social and economic consequences in the future. The consensus that archaeology is a finite non-renewable resource is starting to be challenged, with some scholars suggesting that the range of archaeological materials is constantly expanding through the process of archaeology. From this perspective it is these processes that bring meaning to the materials of the past, and therefore, it is the process of archaeology and its public appreciation that can be considered potentially fragile and in need of preservation. Within the UK there is an emphasis on finding new sources of capital to fund the processes of archaeology that has led to overreliance on short-term project funding tied to socioeconomic agendas, and in some cases questionable ethical conduct in terms of using project funding to maintain core government services. This economic/resourcist reading of sustainability, and particularly the emphasis on maintaining existing frameworks and agendas, threatens the very thing it strives for - the survival and appreciation of the material remains of the past. This paper proposes that a holistic understanding of the way the archaeological discipline is organised and how it operates within local, national and international social, economic, environmental and political systems, is essential to managing the ‘archaeological system’ and guiding disciplinary change to address issues of resilience affecting the future of archaeology.

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