Archaeology and International Development in Africa (Debates in Archaeology) - Softcover

Archaeologists Breen (U. of Ulster) and Rhodes (National Trust for Scotland and Open U., Scotland) began this quest by questioning their own career choices, elite Western scholars blithely doing fieldwork in sub-Saharan Africa while people around them suffered from poverty, hunger, war, and environmental damage. From there they broadened their question to the profession and its endeavors. The results they share suggest how they, their colleagues, archaeology, and Western academia as a whole can engage with the problems in Africa and solutions to them. Among their topics are issues and threats, cultural resource management in Africa, an agency and legislative framework, development directions and cultural heritage linkages, and towards sustainable practice.

Development is a contested area, but can be summarised as the attempt to bring about good change in society. Archaeology has played only a very limited role within this agenda so far, but has considerable scope to integrate into its practice and structures. This short incisive book focuses on Africa, examining the key issues and threats affecting the archaeological resource, including governance, neglect, conflict, climate change and globalisation. The authors examine the context of archaeology within international development and the remit and work of the key organizations involved, ranging from multi-lateral agencies like the UN and the World Bank to NGOs.