Meeting Future Challenges for a Sustainable African Archaeology: Are We Sufficiently Resilient that We Won’t Get Fooled Again?i

Peter R. Schmidt

Abstract


The Pan African Archaeological Association meeting of
2022 examined the resiliency of African societies when
meeting varying traumas and disasters. Resiliency draws
on the past to suggest strategies for the future, especially
climate change and its transforming impacts. Here I
look—by means of a keynote address—at past practices
of African archaeology to draw out several issues that
must be met if archaeology on the continent is to follow a
sustainable future. I set out five steps for a transformed
practice of archaeology in Africa, with ancillary
observations—such as embracing epistemic humility—
for a more open and less hierarchical approach to our
practice.

https://dx.doi.org/10.56279/sapj.v16.1


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