A New Leaf for a Founding Journal of Archaeological Heritage

Abstract

I am honoured to be taking on the editorship for Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, a publication that represents one of the first and longest running journals devoted to matters of archaeological heritage. Established in 1995 and tended by Jeanne Teutonico, Nicholas Stanley-Price, Frank Matero, Rachel Burch, Valerie Magar, Tim Williams, and Kim Te Winkle through years and decades of development and change in archaeological management and conservation, CMAS was devoted to the nuts and bolts of practicing archaeology in society before the tremendous growth of interest in ‘heritage’ and ‘heritage studies’ from academia. Building on these firm foundations, the present is an exciting time for the journal. The many hardships of the coronavirus pandemic had an impact on the journal, as elsewhere, but this challenging period also offered an opportunity for reflection and renewal. In this first Editorial Introduction as the new Editor for CMAS, I offer a brief overview of the journal’s aims in its contemporary iteration, and highlight some new initiatives the journal will pursue to address important issues in archaeological conservation and management in these times of accelerating change. The field of archaeology, heritage management, and conservation faces major challenges – tectonic shifts that are remaking not just the field but our world today. Some of these challenges include global environment change and the climate crisis, technological revolutions, political extremism, increasing mobility and mass migration, and deepening our commitment to equity and diversity. Yet these challenges offer constructive opportunities for reaffirming the societal value of archaeological heritage as an important contributor to addressing these issues. Heritage offers not just a mirror on social change, but propels, mobilises, and directs change too. As the leading journal for integrating work from professional archaeology and academic archaeology, Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites has a critical and unique role in shaping the field’s interventions in the major problems of our day. These interventions will span a spectrum of scale and focus, whether mobilising archaeological resources to influence broad social and global trends, or more specifically address the distinctive needs and manifestations of these issues as they impact archaeological heritage. The journal provides a platform for amplifying how archaeology is most effective and influential in meeting these challenges when academics and practitioners work together. This cooperation must move in both directions, such as implementing innovative ideas into the real-world conditions of ‘on the ground’ practice, and foregrounding the study of management and conservation within academic training and research.