Community archaeology: general methods and standards of practice

Community archaeology seeks to diversify the voices involved in the interpretation of the past. This sub-discipline, one of the fastest growing areas of the field, facilitates mutual education between archaeologists and communities. Wider recognition for the field is, however, hindered by the fact that it lacks a clear methodological structure. In this analysis the various forms in which community archaeology is practised are addressed through six diverse case studies. The underlying principles of these examples are collated through a detailed comparison with the seven-part general methodology proposed by the Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt (CAPQ), with which I have now worked for four years. The Quseir Project offers the most explicit community archaeology methodology published to date.I demonstrate that a shared underlying community approach exists. I then propose an enhanced, wider-reaching methodology for the practice of community archaeology. I conclude that this more explicit methodology is necessary if the sub-discipline is to achieve sincere academic acknowledgement and truly benefit the communities and archaeological research that it represents.