WAC 6 session: Ethics, conflicts and working in other people’s countries

At the conclusion of the ‘Archaeology in Conflict’ conference last November delegates argued for the introduction of a code of ethical conduct to guide practice in the ‘Heritage sector’. A main concern of the conference was the way in which international agencies and overseas ‘missions’ fail the long-term needs of the communities with which they work. Problems are most acute in situations of conflict and in its aftermath - where the urgency of reconstruction can be at the expense of sustainable and locally based solutions – but are not restricted to such circumstances.

Whilst codes of practice governing professional conduct within particular countries address ethical issues, international conventions and charters are framed by ethical considerations, and there is a growing literature on ethical archaeology, most practicing archaeologists are guided by little more than individual conscience. What are the duties and responsibilities of archaeologists and other heritage professionals when involved in excavating, conserving, managing and interpreting other people’s pasts?

This session will explore some of the problems and propose the adoption of a code of practice supplementary to the draft WAC General Code of Ethics.

Issues addressed will include:
· the conduct of archaeologists in conflict states
· the influence of neo-colonial assumptions
· the roles of international agencies and NGOs: from expert missions to capacity building
· sustainable development: dialogue or dogma?
· universal heritage: supporting economies, places or people?
· participatory planning or manipulating local politics?
· indigenous solutions and/or localising the global.


Session organisers:
Tim Williams (tim.d.williams@ucl.ac.uk), Institute of Archaeology, University College London
Dominic Perring (d.perring@ucl.ac.uk), Institute of Archaeology, University College London
Sjoerd van der Linde (s.j.van.der.linde@umail.leidenuniv.nl), Leiden University
Rene Teijgeler (rene.teijgeler@planet.nl), PRDU, University of York.