[OPINION] Archeologists: Gatekeepers of authenticity?

via Rappler, 22 July 2022: An editorial by Stephen Acabado, Mylene Lising and Marlon Martin on the role of archaeologists today, arguing on a role for empowering the custodians of heritage rather than being gatekeepers of authenticity.

Demystifying and de-exoticizing archaeology, thus, has the potential to make archaeology and the materials that we work with more accessible to the wider public, since access could change the romanticized perception of the discipline, and perhaps provide the space for knowledge co-production and ultimately, value co-creation. Making archaeological data open access, for example, opens possibilities for stakeholder and/or Indigenous interpretation of the archaeological record. Of course, this would need engagement with communities. However, digitizing human remains and/or funerary elements is replete with ethical dilemmas since dead people (and the goods that they were buried with), generally, are supposed to remain buried.

So, our question for our colleagues (or perhaps, for all of us to ponder about), based on our respective works, lived experiences, and the practice and future of archaeology is: should we maintain our charge as the gatekeepers or definers of authenticity, or redirect the discipline that works FOR those who should be empowered to make judgments about their heritage?

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