Social Engagement in Archeology. Local Community Involvement in the Protection of Archeological Heritage

Dr. Małgorzata Kot (Faculty of „Artes Liberales”). PROJECT: Social Engagement in Archeology. Local Community Involvement in the Protection of Archeological Heritage.

The project is aimed at assessing the current state of affairs as well as at creating a proposal of solutions meant for increasing local community involvement in the protection and promotion of archeological heritage in three post-communist countries: Poland, Russia and Uzbekistan. The realization of the objectives will be possible thanks to a complex and interdisciplinary analysis of the current situation and determining the desirable effect both from the point of view of the local communities as well as from the point of view of heritage protection. The realization of the project requires cooperation of researchers from various fields of knowledge: archeology, sociology, law, economics etc. Also local social activists (practitioners) who take active action aimed at protecting their local archeological heritage will be invited to participate in the project. In each of the three countries the analysis will include four basic elements: local communities, archeologists, economy and legislation. As a result of the project a list of solutions allowing for a change of the attitude of local communities towards the local archeological heritage will be created.