Premium
Clients, Contracts, and Profits: Conflicts in Public Archaeology
Author(s) -
Raab L. Mark,
Schiffer Michael B.,
Klinger Timothy C.,
Goodyear Albert C.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1980.82.3.02a00040
Subject(s) - work (physics) , government (linguistics) , balance (ability) , service (business) , business , public relations , sociology , law , archaeology , political science , marketing , history , engineering , psychology , mechanical engineering , philosophy , linguistics , neuroscience
The client‐oriented approach to contract archaeology is a technical service rather than genuine scientific research. Such an approach fails to meet the requirements of the law, fails to satisfy the needs of archaeological science, and frequently fails to protect the client's interests. A client orientation encourages an excessive emphasis on profits from contract work. Profits not only exclude a balance of archaeological, client, and public interests but threaten the scientific future of contract work. Solutions to the problem of client‐oriented work include better academic training as researchers, support for government archaeologists, a strong professional consensus on ethical and performance standards, and attention to public interests. [ contract archaeology, client‐oriented archaeology, research profits, research obligations, professionalism ]