The Ethics of Archaeology: Philosophical Perspectives on Archaeological Practice

by Edited by Chris Scarre , Geoffrey Scarre

• ISBN13: 9780521549424
• ISBN10: 0521549426
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-20
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The question of ethics and their role in archaeology has stimulated one of the discipline's liveliest debates. In this collection of essays, an international team of archaeologists, anthropologists and philosophers explore the ethical issues archaeology needs to address. Marrying the skills and expertise of practitioners from different disciplines, the collection produces interesting insights into many of the ethical dilemmas facing archaeology today. Topics discussed include relations with indigenous peoples; the professional standards and responsibilities of researchers; the role of ethical codes; the notion of value in archaeology; concepts of stewardship and custodianship; the meaning and moral implications of 'heritage'; the question of who 'owns' the past or the interpretation of it; the trade in antiquities; the repatriation of skeletal material; and treatment of the dead. This important collection is essential reading for all those working in the field of archaeology, be they scholar or practitioner.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	vii
Acknowledgements	xi
Introduction	1	(14)
Chris Scarre
Geoffrey Scarre
PART I THE OWNERSHIP OF CULTURAL OBJECTS
Cultures and the ownership of archaeological finds	15	(17)
James O. Young
Who guards the guardians?	32	(14)
Oliver Leaman
Is culture a commodity?	46	(23)
Robert Layton
Gillian Wallace
Moral arguments on subsistence digging	69	(28)
Julie Hollowell
PART II ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND THE LIVING
Human subjects review and archaeology: a view from Indian country	97	(18)
Jeffrey C. Bendremer
Kenneth A. Richman
Trust and archaeological practice: towards a framework of Virtue Ethics	115	(16)
Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh
T. J. Ferguson
Truthfulness and 'inclusion' in archaeology	131	(15)
David E. Cooper
Ethics and Native American reburials: a philosopher's view of two decades of NAGPRA	146	(17)
Douglas P. Lackey
Stewardship gone astray? Ethics and the SAA	163	(18)
Leo Groarke
Gary Warrick
PART III ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND THE DEAD
Can archaeology harm the dead?	181	(18)
Geoffrey Scarre
Archaeological ethics and the people of the past	199	(20)
Sarah Tarlow
PART IV THE COMMON HERITAGE OF HUMANKIND?
A plea for responsibility towards the common heritage of mankind	219	(23)
Sandra M. Dingli
The ethics of the World Heritage concept	242	(18)
Atle Omland
What value a unicorn's horn? A study of archaeological uniqueness and values	260	(13)
Robin Coningham
Rachel Cooper
Mark Pollard
References	273	(33)
Index	306