Abstract
Based on recent research in the San Pasquale Valley in southern Calabria, this paper presents our experiences with combining ethnographic and traditional archaeological methodologies to establish a community-serving, rather than strictly research-generating, endeavor. We argue that truly collaborative projects offer new opportunities for knowledge production and knowledge presentation about the past, and provide a platform for service to our collaborators who make our work possible. Prioritizing process, while acknowledging the need for academic capital, makes us better scientists and offers the key to engaged scholarship.
Resume
S’appuyant sur une recherche récente dans la Vallée San Pasquale dans la Calabre du Sud, cet article présente nos expériences associant des méthodologies archéologiques traditionnelles et ethnographiques afin de mettre en œuvre un effort qui soit au service de la communauté, plutôt que strictement créateur d’une recherche. Notre argument est que les projets véritablement collaboratifs recèlent des opportunités nouvelles pour la production et la présentation de connaissances sur le passé, et qu’ils fournissent également une plateforme de service pour nos collaborateurs rendant ainsi notre travail possible. Accorder la priorité au processus, tout en reconnaissant le besoin d’un capital académique, fait de nous de meilleurs scientifiques et détient la clé d’une recherche engagée.
Resumen
Basado en investigaciones recientes en el Valle de San Pasquale en el sur de Calabria, este artículo presenta nuestras experiencias de combinar metodologías arqueológicas etnográficas y tradicionales para establecer un esfuerzo al servicio de la comunidad, en lugar de generar solamente una investigación. Argumentamos que los proyectos verdaderamente colaborativos ofrecen nuevas oportunidades para la producción del conocimiento y la presentación del conocimiento sobre el pasado, y proporcionan una plataforma de servicio a nuestros colaboradores, que son los que hacen posible nuestro trabajo. El proceso de priorización, aunque reconoce la necesidad de capital académico, nos hace mejores científicos y ofrece la clave para el trabajo académico comprometido.
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Acknowledgements
We offer profound thanks to all landowners, farmers, managers, and residents working and living in the SPQV for their collaboration. We thank Dr. Rosella Agostino, Soprintendenza di Beni Culturi Archeologici di Calabria, without whom this work would not be possible. We thank crew members Larry Lane, Nick Gauthier, Nicholas Robb, Johanna Farr, and Isabelle Ruben, and Meagan Brown who aided data analysis at SDSU. Special thanks to Tito and Nunziella Squillaci, Caterina Cardillo, and Maria-Letizia Rovito. Funding sources included the National Endowment for the Humanities (Grant # RZ-51699-14); University of Notre Dame’s Nanovic Institute for European Studies, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, and Anthropology Department; Cambridge University’s McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research; and San Diego State University. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with Notre Dame’s IRB approval (Protocol #18-050-4670).
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Chesson, M.S., Ullah, I.I.T., Iiriti, G. et al. Archaeology as Intellectual Service: Engaged Archaeology in San Pasquale Valley, Calabria, Italy. Arch 15, 422–443 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-019-09376-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-019-09376-5