27th November 2008, 12:27 PM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by bob
We will be a smaller profession next year, but we must address the root causes of the problems NOW, put our house in order and sort pay and conditions to create a stable base to go forward. Not retreat into our bunkers and say, 'well it will be ok again one day, and there'll always be more students wanting work'. Time for those who represent the profession to show their mettle
Perhaps in putting our house in order though, we also need to reassert the profession as a discipline in its own right? For a while now we've seen increasingly bland "Heritage language" coming out of government and being adopted by parts of our profession. However speaking personally, I never wanted to be a "Heritage Professional" and I don't really like references to generic "Heritage Assets" or "Heritage Resources". I think this kind of insipid terminology distances us from the public, devalues our skills and ignores the diversity of the historic environment. If there is to be a contraction in the profession and therefore a need to concentrate on a stable base to preserve skills and move forward, should we also be highlighting, promoting and celebrating a distinct "Archaeological" profession and agenda again?