A Future for Field-Schools?

Abstract

As digital tools and approaches become ubiquitous, discussions of the utility of distinguishing “digital” from supposedly “non-digital” approaches emerge. This calls for a centering of the digital in negotiating the big issues facing archaeology and heritage studies. One of these challenges is the increasing separation between theory and practice, between scholars and practitioners. Such separation leads to generalizing critiques that inhibit productive advancements. This chapter explores the implementation of digitally-focused creative field-schools for situated reflexive learning and research. With reference to 5 years of data gathered at the University of York’s annual ‘Heritage Practice’ field-school, applied digital creative work as a gateway into larger disciplinary knowledge development is critically discussed, as are ethical accountability, and professional change. These field-schools offer rich laboratories in which to advance archaeological and heritage practice, as well as grounded interdisciplinary scholarship. Crucially, the approach is distinct from skills training, including the transformative experience of negotiating real-world constraints and the inevitability of compromise. Ultimately, the digital realm is not changing the questions asked or the dilemmas faced. Rather, it offers a crucial arena from which to approach such matters - and a necessary baseline from which to address the central questions of archaeology and heritage studies.