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Why archaeology's relevance to global challenges has not been recognised

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2021

Michael E. Smith Open the ORCID record for Michael E. Smith [Opens in a new window]
Michael E. Smith*
Affiliation:
School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Arizona State University, USA (✉ mesmith9@asu.edu)
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Abstract

Archaeologists are increasingly publishing articles proclaiming the relevance of our field for contemporary global challenges, yet our research has little impact on other disciplines or on policy-making. Here, the author discusses three reasons for this impasse in relevance: archaeologists do not understand how relevance is constructed between fields; too little of our work follows a rigorous scientific epistemology; and we are confused about the target audiences for our messages concerning our discipline's relevance. The author suggests two strategies for moving forward: transdisciplinary collaborative research and the production of quantitative scientific results that will be useful to scientists in disciplines more closely involved in today's global challenges.

Keywords

archaeologyrelevancepolicy-makinginterdisciplinarytransdisciplinarity
Type
Debate
Information
Antiquity , Volume 95 , Issue 382 , August 2021 , pp. 1061 - 1069
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

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