AbstractsEconomics

Archaeology for the people? Greek archaeology and its public: an analysis of the socio-political and economic role of archaeology in Greece

by Anastasia Sakellariadi




Institution: Institutes outside Greece; Ιδρύματα Εξωτερικού
Department:
Year: 2011
Keywords: Αρχαιολογία; Πολιτιστική κληρονομιά; Αρχαιολογική διαχείριση; Δημόσια αρχαιολογία; Ελλάδα; Archaeology; Cultural heritage; Archaeological management; Public archaeology; Greece
Record ID: 1153100
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/10442/hedi/35120


Abstract

The doctoral research project entitled Archaeology for the People? Greek Archaeology and its Public: An Analysis of the Socio-Political and Economic Role of Archaeology in Greece was undertaken at the Institute of Archaeology in University College London (UCL, 2006 – 2011) with financial support by the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, the Graduate School, UCL, the Propondis Foundation and the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation. The project aimed to answer the following questions:•What has the relationship between archaeology and local communities been in Greece in terms of its social, economic and political impact? How and why has this relationship developed?•What are the public values of archaeology in Greece and how have they altered under the influence of socio-political and economic change?•What are the current aims and the objectives of Greek archaeology as identified in the priorities of the Archaeological Service?•What strategies might archaeology implement in Greece in order to reinforce its socio-political and economic role and become more reciprocal and relevant?The ultimate question this research project raised is: ‘for whom is archaeology practiced in Greece?’The project was conducted through the investigation of three case studies and the combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The local communities of Krenides in Kavala (next to the archaeological site of the ancient city of Philippi), Dispilio in Kastoria (next to the archaeological site of the prehistoric lake settlement of Dispilio) and Delphi in Phokida (next to the archaeological site of the ancient sanctuary of Delphi) were investigated.Two hundred and eighty-four interviews - questionnaires among the residents of the local communities, 29 semi-structured interviews with local interested parties and archaeologists, comments of participants in the questionnaire survey, field notes, statistical data (state budget, population census, economic activity per area and with regard to tourist services, visitor numbers to archaeological sites and museums), archival material (municipal archives and ICOMOS Documentation Centre), promotional material produced by the relevant municipalities and prefectures were collected. Data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) and Nvivo (Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software). The main conclusion of the research project was that the relationship between Greek archaeology and local communities is an arena; formed by the terms the national narrative has set and where a variety of agendas are projected and compete. The supreme ideal of the nation as served by archaeology for the moment seems to make the every day battle between conservation of antiquities and other interests unscathed. However the public good of archaeology, as the legislator envisaged it in the beginnings of the Greek state, is still looked for. Η διδακτορική διατριβή με τίτλο Αρχαιολογία για τον κόσμο; Η ελληνική αρχαιολογία και το κοινό της: ανάλυση του κοινωνικοπολιτικού και οικονομικού ρόλου της…