Book Review

Collaboration in Archaeology Practice: Engag-ing Descendant Communities. Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh and T. J. Ferguson. Lanham, MD:AltaMira Press, 2008. 317 pp.

SONYA ATALAY

Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh and T. J. Fergus-

on’s book adds to the literature on collaboration in

the field of archaeology. It contributes directly to

what is currently a very critical aspect of scholar-

ship and teaching in archaeology as it focuses

centrally on collaborative experiences from a range

of temporal and geographic contexts. Discussions

within archaeology about the need for collaboration

abound, but few books discuss the range of positive

and negative experiences of working with both

indigenous and non-indigenous groups that are

presented in this volume.

The introductory chapter by Colwell-Chant-

haphonh and Ferguson provides an excellent in-

troduction to collaborative research in archaeology.

It offers the right amount of detail on the history of

archaeology as it relates to the issue of collabora-

tion, and then follows with a compelling and well-

researched theory of collaborative practice. The

models they put forth of resistance, participation,

and collaboration are excellent and well explained.

The authors also outline their particular practice of

collaboration, called collaborative inquiry, which is

compelling and interesting. They place collabora-

tion in a context of creating a new mode of

knowledge production. This is an accurate assess-

ment, and one that deserves further consideration

within the discipline.

Following the introductory chapter, the book is

organized into three sections: Knowledge, Ethics,

and Practice. This proves to be an effective and ap-

propriate way of organizing the material. The first

of these sections, focused on knowledge, includes

three chapters from different geographic regions.

Michael Adler and Susan Bruning’s chapter (chap-

ter 2) addresses what is arguably one of the most

important issues in archaeology todayFthat of

cultural affiliation with ancestral remains. The au-

thors provide an overview of the role of cultural

affiliation and point to the importance of fluidity

and flexibility in research designs when conducting

cultural affiliation research. The ‘‘Grasping at Flu-

idity’’ section is particularly interesting, as the

authors differentiate between external and inter-

nal understandings. The background section on

cultural affiliation is helpful in grounding the

authors’ points and utilizes clear, well-chosen

examples.

Chapter 3, by Larry Zimmerman, is useful for

archaeologists to read when thinking about their

interactions with a range of non-archaeological

communities. The discussion of Native American

beliefs about the past and the ways that archaeolo-

gists might best approach these is well stated

and balanced. Two major highlights of the piece in-

clude points related to validity and truth and the

problematizing of archaeologists’ attempts to be

gatekeepers of a community’s identity.

Chapter 4, the final chapter in the ‘‘Knowledge’’

section, effectively engages with the question of

differences in Western and indigenous knowledge

systems and ways of seeing. Norm Sheehan and Ian

Lilley provide engaging examples of the ways

worldview can affect outcome. When I used this

text in a graduate seminar on Indigenous Archae-

ology students found these examples very com-

pelling, and they led to productive discussions

about knowledge and value systems.

Part II: Ethics includes four chapters ranging in

focus from museums in the United States, a

National Park in South Africa, and intellectual

property rights in Aboriginal Australia. The section

begins with chapter 5 by Dorothy Lippert, who rai-

ses important points about the practice of

archaeology within the museum repatriation con-

text. Some of the strongest and most notable points

in the chapter include a discussion contrasting

the view of authority versus one of responsibility.

Another important point raised is in reference to

135

& 2009 by the American Anthropological Association. All rights reserved.DOI: 10.1111/j.1548-1379.2009.01047.x

Vine Deloria Jr.’s thoughts on the incapability of

the scientific approach to relate the humanness of

our people. Here Lippert provides a strong en-

dorsement for the collaborative process brought

about by the implementation of the Native

American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Later in the chapter, Lippert makes a powerful

point in drawing parallels between what the

government did to living Native people with relo-

cation and what they have done with the dead in

museums.

Lynn Meskell and Lynette Sibongile Masuku

Van Damme’s contribution to the book (chapter 6)

relays the collaborative efforts being undertaken

in South African National Parks. This chapter

adds in important ways to the global scale of this

book, and demonstrates the complexity of heri-

tage ethics when working with diverse descendent

communities.

The interview with Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma,

director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office,

and Ferguson, an archaeologist and one of the

books’ editors, is a ‘‘must read.’’ It presents critical

points about productive ways to carry out collabo-

ration and strategies for facing obstacles that may

arise in the process. This chapter is one that many

Native communities would benefit from as it pro-

vides information that is both interesting and

helpful in organizing and planning for collabora-

tive research with archaeologists.

Claire Smith and Gary Jackson’s chapter (chap-

ter 8) clearly reflects the long-term commitment of

the authors to the Australian Aboriginal commu-

nity with whom they work. The style and prose

are clear, concise, and enjoyable to read. The chap-

ter provides tangible examples of Aboriginal

protocols for research and points to the need for

respecting differences in knowledge systems

when developing anthropological codes of ethics.

Respect, responsibility, flexibility, appropriate per-

missions to protect intellectual property, and

sharing of benefits are some of the key points dis-

cussed.

Part III, the book’s final section, takes on the

topic of ‘‘Practice.’’ Thomas Cuddy and Mark P.

Leone’s chapter (chapter 9) focuses on historical

archaeology in the United States, adding to the di-

versity of the geographic and temporal topics in

this book. It is theoretically engaged yet has a

clearly defined practical component and is well

written and concisely presented. Both this chapter

and Paul A. Shackel and Favid A. Gadsby’s chapter

on memory and class in a working class community

in Baltimore (chapter 10) point directly to the appli-

cability of collaborative strategies in archaeological

research outside of indigenous communities. The

data tables and site maps in Cuddy and Leone’s

chapter provide an engaging example that is bol-

stered by segments from historical documents.

Shackel and Gadsby’s work in Balitmore includes

first-hand accounts that act to raise consciousness

about class history in the area.

A strong point of Michael Heckenberger’s chap-

ter (chapter 11) is his theoretical argument, which

includes important ideas about knowledge produc-

tion that may have positive effects on future

collaborative research in archaeology. This is de-

rived from the author’s work in the Amazon.

Although I found some of the ‘‘participatory strate-

gies’’ that he describes to be unclear at times and

not as participatory as they could be, the chapter

does include useful information about conservation

practices.

George Nicholas, John Welch, and Eldon Yellow-

horn’s chapter (chapter 12) is the book’s final

chapter. The authors do a very good job of sharing

their varied experiences and of drawing conclusions

based on the similarities of their work with three

different First Nations communities in Canada. I

particularly liked the emphasis on the ‘‘with, for,

and as’’ aspect of their collaborative work. One im-

portant contribution of this chapter that the others

do not include is a brief section discussing the as-

sessment of success in a collaborative project.

Colwell-Chanthaphonh and Ferguson have pro-

duced a well-organized edited volume that is

enjoyable to read, and covers critical topics in the

right amount of detail. It is appropriate for

multiple audiences, including academic and non-

academic readers. Researchers who are looking

for guidance on developing collaborative research

projects will find a range of case studies to follow,

and the collection provides an overview to some of

the current practices and challenges for students

who are just starting to think about field methods

and how to incorporate collaboration into on-the-

ground field practices. This may also be a volume

that communities will find useful when thinking

about working with academic researchers collabo-

ratively, as there are solid examples of things that

136 MUSEUM ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 32 NUMBER 2

worked well in other communities, and some words

of caution about things that were not so successful.

Sonya Atalay in an Assistant Professor of Anthropol-

ogy and an Affiliate of the Center for Archaeology in

the Public Interest in Indiana University’s Department

of Anthropology. She conducts archaeological field-

work in the Middle East and the Great Lakes region

of the United States. Her research interests include

indigenous and community archaeology, collabora-

tive methodologies, postcolonial and decolonizing

research, clay and ceramics analysis, and cultural

and intellectual property.

BOOK REVIEW 137