Obsidian Ceiling - Ethnic Archaeologists Experiences in the CRM Field in Canada

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • John Somogyi-Csizmazia - Moderator
Contact Email: 
johnsomogyi1@gmail.com
Session Description (300 word max): 

Abstract

Archaeological consulting in Canada plays a critical role in cultural resource management, development review, and heritage stewardship. Yet, despite increasing attention to equity, diversity, and inclusion across the discipline, the lived experiences of non indigenous ethnic minorities working in archaeological consulting remain underrepresented and insufficiently examined. This panel is a continuation of previous CAA discussions bringing together archaeologists from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds to share personal and professional experiences navigating consulting practice within varied regional, institutional, and regulatory frameworks across Canada.

Panelists will explore themes including access to employment and advancement, workplace culture, fieldwork dynamics, interactions with clients, regulators, and Indigenous communities, and the emotional and professional labour involved in negotiating identity in predominantly Eurocentric professional spaces. The discussion will also address systemic barriers, micro-aggressions, mentorship gaps, and strategies for resilience, advocacy, and change within consulting environments.

The session invites participation from ethnic archaeologists’ community at all career stages, consultants, regulators, and allied professionals committed to building a more reflective and representative discipline.

Présentations
Etner Bassal Presentation
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Etner  Bassal

Archaeological consulting is central to cultural resource management and heritage stewardship in Canada, yet the experiences of non-indigenous ethnic minorities within the profession remain underrepresented. Drawing on my trajectory as an internationally trained archaeologist, from Botswana, with professional experience across Africa and Europe, to graduate study and consulting work in Canada, this papers reflects on navigating archaeological practice as a racialized and foreign-trained professional.

I explore themes of access to employment, workplace culture, fieldwork dynamics, and mentorship within Canadian consulting archaeology, as well as interactions with clients, regulators, and Indigenous communities. Particualr attnetion is given to the challenges of credential recognition, professional integration, and the emotional labour involved in working within predominately Eurocentric institutional spaces. I also reflect on the effectiveness and limitations of diversity and inclusion in both public and private sector archaeology.
Reimagining the Archaeological Field School
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Laura Kelvin - University of Manitoba
  • Drenna Lameg - University of Manitoba

Archaeological field schools remain an important component of undergraduate training. They are frequently a program requirement, and future employers prefer to higher graduates who have field school experience. However, they are often criticized for reproducing the colonial underpinnings of the discipline and not actually preparing students for the realities of a career in archaeology. After a six-year hiatus, the University of Manitoba’s Anthropology Department offered a revised version the archaeological field school. The redesigned model aimed to carefully balance ethical, relational approaches to archaeology and providing foundational field skills. Although students gained hands-on experience in survey and excavation, these activities were framed within a broader context, highlighting that excavation is only one part of what it means to practice archaeology. This presentation reflects on the design process, early successes, and key challenges of the first iteration of the redesigned field school.

Somogyi-Csizmazia Presentation
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • John  Somogyi-Csizmazia

During the 2024 Canadian Archaeological Association (CAA) conference in Saskatoon, a session brought together visible ethnic minorities to discuss their experiences within the Cultural Resource Management (CRM) profession, with a particular focus on archaeology. This presentation builds on that discussion by revisiting key themes and topics explored during the panel.

Drawing on over 30 years of experience in international, national, and local CRM projets, I reflect on the realities faced by ethnic minorities in consulting archaeology. These include microagreesions, systemic discrimination, and workplace bullying.