Community-Based Archaeology: Research with, by, and for Indigenous and Local Communities by Sonya Atalay (review)

Community-Based Archaeology lays a foundation for future anthropological and archaeological research, and thus should be required reading for any student considering a career in archaeology or cultural anthropology. In fact, it may serve as a model for tribal communities, people in museology, academicians, and those in other natural and social sciences. Sonya Atalay clearly articulates the basic principles of community-based participatory research (cbpr), which, she argues, must be “done with, by, and for communities” (x).

Atalay calls for a new kind of archaeological research based on genuine collaboration with the local community. This method, while often a longer process, will result in research that is more accessible and sustainable. We know that for far too long, indigenous communities have seen researchers come into their communities, conduct their research, and then “take” their findings away. While the author acknowledges a history of tension, she urges us to find ways to combine indigenous systems of knowledge with Western scientific approaches. Some scholars have referred to this as the decolonization of older methodologies, but it shouldn’t be interpreted as a rejection of Western scientific theory. Instead, the author argues, we should approach our research questions and select our methodologies around community interests, concerns, and priorities. While this is admittedly complex, she reminds readers that these “palpable tensions exist alongside exciting possibilities” (9).

The first several chapters are dedicated to an in-depth discussion of how community-based participatory research differs from traditional approaches to archaeological research. Drawing on the earlier work of several scholars, Atalay asks us to consider the relevance of our research beyond an academic audience. She urges her readers to think carefully about the process of collaboration and to position our analysis of community-based projects as existing on a continuum. She highlights several collaborative archaeological projects that have successfully embraced this approach, including five community-based archaeology projects that she participated in. One such case study highlights the research projects that Atalay has conducted with and for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian tribe of Michigan’s Ziibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways. Her candid discussion includes those tensions that exist as we explore this new way of conducting research. Other excellent examples of this community-based methodology in action include the work Atalay has conducted at the Waapaahsiiki Siipiiwi site in Indiana and the site of Çatalhöyükh in south-central Turkey.

Atalay’s observations are both theoretical and practical. In addition to its rich descriptive examples of community-based research, Community-Based Archaeology is filled with concrete examples of how researchers might best connect with community research partners in lasting, innovative ways. Sustainable projects entail not only new ways of creating a research design but also new ways of gathering and sharing our data. Ultimately, the author concludes that, while relatively new, community-based participatory research will yield mutual benefits for partners who engage in a truly collaborative approach. This is archaeology that matters, and, as she has set out to do, this will prove to be “the work of a good ancestor.”