Archaeologists against War

We have entered a new era of mass protest. What is the role of archaeology in a world of fat cats, corporate greed and imperialist war? We need to campaign as archaeologists on several fronts and make our discipline relevant to the growing numbers challenging the world system and its twisted priorities. Archaeology and history are often used to justify nationalism or imperialism – Niall Ferguson’s Empire, for example, or Adam Hart-Davis’ What the Romans did for us. The archaeological establishment largely accepts the way the system works – the privatisation of rescue, for instance, and the market-driven cost cutting of professional units. And there is a major heritage dimension to the world crisis – the threat to ancient cities by mass bombing in Iraq, or the destruction of sites by western multinationals as Eastern Europe ‘opens up to the market’.
We need an organisation for archaeologists who are opposed to war, the destruction of heritage, the exploitation of professional diggers, establishment control over archaeology, and the abuse of the past to justify imperialism in the present. Archaeologists against War is planned as a loose, open, democratic grouping that links together archaeologists and other heritage sector workers who share these concerns.

What we stand for

1. Support for, and involvement in, the new movements against war and capitalism, with special emphasis on: a) the defence of heritage sites, b) the defence of local communities, cultures and indigenous peoples, and c) celebration of the multi-racial and multi-cultural nature of humanity as revealed in the archaeological record.
2. The development of radical perspectives which challenge imperialism, class exploitation, and various forms of oppression, and which seek instead to develop an ‘archaeology from below’ which puts emphasis on the experiences and struggles of ordinary people, and analyses the past in terms of contested alternatives.
3. Support for trade union organisation and a rank-and-file network among professional archaeologists, and support for campaigns against spending cuts, privatisation, low wages, job insecurity, poor terms and conditions, and the lack of a career structure.
4. Support for ‘democratic archaeology’, greater public access, and genuine ‘multi-vocality’, mainly through local community-based projects with opportunities for research, training and volunteer participation.

How to join

Archaeologists against War will be assembling under Waterloo Bridge at 11.30am on Saturday 15 February as part of the global protest against war on Iraq. Everyone is welcome to join us. Please also sign up to Archaeologists against War by send your name, address, phone number, email address, and £5 to Dave Thorpe, 12b Despard Road, London, N19 5NW, or contact us on  dav.thorpe@virgin.net (these are temporary contact details pending establishment of a formal infrastructure). We hope to launch a newsletter soon, and to hold an inaugural Radical Archaeology Conference on the theme ‘Archaeology in an Age of Protest’ in May.

Signatories
Neil Faulkner (UCL), Jim Mower (Time Team), Alice Roberts (Bristol University), Dave Thorpe (Time Team), Steve Roskams (York University), Dave Radford (Archaeological Officer, Bucks)