The long and winding road of slow archaeology

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Lisa Hodgetts, Western University
  • Jessica Metcalfe, Lakehead University
  • Natasha Lyons, Ursus Heritage Consulting
Contact Email: 
lisa.hodgetts@uwo.ca
Session Description (300 word max): 

Alongside the rise of collaborative community-based approaches in archaeology and cultural heritage in recent decades we have seen a call for “slow archaeology.” It is part of a broader “slow science” movement that counters the dominant “fast science” approach that is “competitive, data-centric, technocratic, and alienated from the societies it serves and studies” (Cunningham & MacEachern 2014:4). Slow archaeology prioritizes deep long-term engagements with research collaborators, participants and the material record, and reflexive, ethical practice. Drawing on grounded theory, it involves embracing process, listening and being responsive, taking an iterative approach that demands patience and sitting with uncertainty.

This session invites reflections on the benefits and challenges of slow archaeology’s longer timelines in community-based research. How does the slower pace and the focus on relationships influence the outcomes and impact of the work? How do we build and maintain long-term research relationships and how do they develop and change over time? What tensions exist between a slow, relational approach and existing structures in the academy, museums and CRM, and how might we alleviate them?

Join us and share your slow archaeology research journeys: lessons learned (sometimes the hard way), things (big and small) to celebrate along the way, and implications for broader archaeology and heritage research practice.

Presentations
Four Years of Slow Archaeology in Dolores, Guatemala ( Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire )
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire - Mount Royal University

Since 2022, Ruben Morales Forte and I have been conducting a slow archaeology program with the heritage community of Dolores, Guatemala. This project stems from co-working with Dolores grassroots archaeologists who invited us to their community. Three years of ethnography have allowed us to interview 52 community members about their rapport with archaeology and their hopes for their cultural heritage. Through this process, we have formed relationships with not only community members, but also with three local institutions: (1) the archaeology museum; (2) an archaeological survey program; and (3) the mayor’s office.

Our slow approach and sustained rapports have been somewhat surprising for the community, but the resulting heart-centered relational web was well worth it. After four years, our Phase 1 is complete and we are ready for the archaeological Phase 2 of the program.

The unusual ethnoarchaeological nature of this program has represented a barrier for securing meaningful funding. Conversely, ethnographic work is fairly unexpensive. And while this research has been incredibly rewarding, it would be hard to conduct for either graduate students or scholars working at research-intensive universities.

Yet, we believe our slow approach is promising and has paved the way for a truly community-led excavation program.
The Graduate Perspective: Being Stewards of Existing Relationships and Conducting Community-Based Research ( Natascha Beisswenger-Mooney )
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Natascha Beisswenger-Mooney - Department of Anthropology, Western University
  • Rory Succee - Department of Anthropology, Western University
  • Patricia G. Markert - Department of Anthropology, Western University

Grad student projects take place over short periods of time and might not be what one thinks about when they think of “slow” research. However, our masters' projects are an extension of nearly a decade's worth of community-based work in Medina County, Texas. In this paper, we reflect on our experiences of being stewards of out supervisors (Dr. Patricia G. Markert) community relationships, while also creating our own community connections through participating in community events, and interactions that extend beyond our research into our daily life. One of the projects focuses on German-Texan experiences during World War Two as well as the architecture of two settler homes in Quihi, Texas. This project is heavily community-based with oral history interviews and throughout the process of photogrammetry. The other focuses on how 19th century headstones at St. Dominic cemetery in D’hanis, Texas reflect identity and social, cultural and artistic trends of the time. During this fieldwork, community members participated in the collection of data and provided information. Additionally, we reflect on the ways that our experiences with the community not only shaped and influenced our research but also helped shape us as researchers.