Pathways to Inclusive Digital Archaeological Archives

Abstract This article addresses the historical and ongoing exclusion of descendant and local communities, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), from digital archaeological archives. We contend that current digitization practices often perpetuate colonial-era biases through limited, monolingual metadata that fail to reflect or engage with local histories and knowledge systems. Noting the insufficiency of current FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) data frameworks for this specific context, we propose a shift toward reparative, co-stewardship models. Drawing on practice-led pilot projects within digital archaeological archives using Linked Open Data (LOD) and community-facilitated annotation, this article demonstrates practical pathways for integrating diverse, multilingual perspectives to enrich archive metadata. In so doing, it demonstrates how digital interventions have the potential to destabilize power dynamics and work toward reparative practice. Ultimately, we advocate for conscious professional collaboration and institutional reform to transform archives from static repositories into dynamic spaces of equitable engagement, actively combating digital colonialism.