Collision or Collaboration? Archaeology Encounters Economic Development: An Introduction

Abstract

Economic development activities globally have increasingly severe consequences for the practice of archaeology. Archaeologists’ ambivalent views on engaging with development, however, affect the prospects for improvement of living standards the communities in which we work, and for the ability of the discipline to influence the powerful corporate, financial, and political forces behind development efforts. This volume explores, through theoretical, ethical, and case study analysis, the challenging choices facing the discipline in a fast-developing world: Is it better to collaborate with development forces in order to preserve heritage and the archaeological record and, perhaps to support local communities? Or is it better to contend with demands for economic growth and so collide with potentially irresistible demands. This chapter presents the context in which these issues must be considered, and reviews the themes arising from the chapters in this volume, which in the aggregate evaluate the question of Collision or Collaboration from a global perspective.