In this final issue of 2018 we cover a broad spectrum of community heritage engagements, both thematically and geographically. Akira Ichikawa (Nagoya University, Japan) presents and reflects upon his research in Nueva Esperanza, El Salvador. With lower numbers of indigenous people than many other South and Central American countries, there are potential challenges in engaging the communities that do live there with a cultural heritage with which they may not feel a great deal of affinity. Yet the author found that many of the local residents were prepared to engage very closely with the archaeological work, and notes the importance of seeing local populations as ‘active participants, rather than as labour to support research’.
Also looking at different heritage perspectives and values, often in the context of recent arrivals in the form of economic migrants and refugees, V. Camille Westmont (University of Maryland, USA) and Andreas Antelid (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) combine their research on community engagement and fieldwork in Pennsylvania, USA through the Anthracite Heritage Project, and in Ale, Sweden through the Vems historia? (en: Whose Heritage?) project. An encouraging take-away from their research is the potential of community archaeology to tackle the more toxic aspects of nationalism, and to break down social barriers and exclusionary prejudicial assumptions on identity and sense of place.
Again drawing on the complex theme of sense of place and the materiality of belonging, Seetha Rajiv and Thirumaran Kesavaperumal (both National Institute of Technology, India) present their research regarding attitudes of residents and property owners of Chettinadu palaces in Tamil Nadu, India. Focusing on the values attributed to these UNESCO World Heritage-listed properties – which often stay in the same family for generations, but are increasingly a bind for their owners due to increasing maintenance costs – Rajiv and Kesavaperumal found that despite the pressures of commercialism many try to keep their properties in an authentic state. Their recommendations are relevant not only for the Indian authorities, but extrapolate to historic properties across the world.
This issue also includes two reviews. Douglas R. Appler reviews the book Empowering communities through archaeology and heritage: The role of local governance in economic development by Peter Gould, reflecting on the fresh approach that Gould takes in contextualizing archaeology and heritage within an economic perspective. Suzie Thomas reviews an event: the Archaeology Day held at the Wichita Tribal History Center in Anadarko, Oklahoma (USA) in September 2018. As a relatively newly-opened museum, Thomas sees a lot of positivity in the ways in which the Tribal History Center, and indeed the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes are looking to collaborate with archaeologists in Oklahoma and encourage young people to take up anthropological studies. Such projects hold real promise for outreach endeavours elsewhere, as they open up dialogue in ways that make sense to the many, not the few.