Public engagement and student archaeological projects: Lessons from research at Woodrow Ruin, New Mexico, USA

Abstract

ABSTRACTArchaeology students face many hurdles while completing thesis or dissertation projects. Acquiring funding, collecting and analyzing data, conducting fieldwork, and presenting results are just some of the obstacles students must overcome. I argue that public engagement must also be part of student-led archaeological projects. First, students need to develop the skills for collaborative research. Second, the public, including local communities and indigenous groups, should be afforded opportunities to share their knowledge, voices, and skills in student projects. In this paper, I describe (and self-critique) several public archaeology strategies (including new opportunities such as crowdfunding) from my dissertation research at Woodrow Ruin, a large, multi-component site in the Mimbres region of southwest New Mexico, USA. My project demonstrates that public engagement is indeed possible as an archaeology student, and could be an integral part of more student research projects.