16th January 2008, 12:20 AM
Gary,
you are as fervent in defense of your position as I am in mine. Firstly, lets lay this idea of archaeologists as tweedy, beardy middle-class intellectuals to rest. The MSC programme dating from the 1980s introduced many working-class people to the world of professional archaeology, some of those went on to gain degrees, some didn't. As a result, professional commercial archaeology now contains many people in senior positions who have achieved their current status based on experience, talent and on-site training; I, until I left professional commercial archaeology, was one of them. I did go to university but because of personal circumstances didn't finish my degree, this never barred me from promotion in any company that I worked for. The idea that there is a class distinction between archaeologists and detectorists is something that I find highly offensive, it's an idea that clouds genuine working class struggle.
I maintain that if you are convinced that the archaeologist that you will not name is guilty of professional negligence and that you can prove your statement then give the forum details of their offense, such can be done without naming names. Is BAJR Hosty aware of your claims? Has this been investigated? What are are the qualifications and experiences of the landowner that you cite which make them capable of judging the actions of the archaeologist in question? GIVE US SOME FACTS.
Accusing a member of the archaeological community of professional negligence without supporting that claim with evidence is as pointless as an archaeologist accusing a member of the detectorist community, without good cause, of being a heritage thief. For me the only way forward is if archaeologists and detectorists sit down together, put aside our respective biases and work out a shared solution to a common problem irrespective of class, technology used or levels of education.
If you ever wondered how you get triangles from a cow, you need buttermilk and cheese and an equilateral chainsaw. Half Man Half Biscuit
you are as fervent in defense of your position as I am in mine. Firstly, lets lay this idea of archaeologists as tweedy, beardy middle-class intellectuals to rest. The MSC programme dating from the 1980s introduced many working-class people to the world of professional archaeology, some of those went on to gain degrees, some didn't. As a result, professional commercial archaeology now contains many people in senior positions who have achieved their current status based on experience, talent and on-site training; I, until I left professional commercial archaeology, was one of them. I did go to university but because of personal circumstances didn't finish my degree, this never barred me from promotion in any company that I worked for. The idea that there is a class distinction between archaeologists and detectorists is something that I find highly offensive, it's an idea that clouds genuine working class struggle.
I maintain that if you are convinced that the archaeologist that you will not name is guilty of professional negligence and that you can prove your statement then give the forum details of their offense, such can be done without naming names. Is BAJR Hosty aware of your claims? Has this been investigated? What are are the qualifications and experiences of the landowner that you cite which make them capable of judging the actions of the archaeologist in question? GIVE US SOME FACTS.
Accusing a member of the archaeological community of professional negligence without supporting that claim with evidence is as pointless as an archaeologist accusing a member of the detectorist community, without good cause, of being a heritage thief. For me the only way forward is if archaeologists and detectorists sit down together, put aside our respective biases and work out a shared solution to a common problem irrespective of class, technology used or levels of education.
If you ever wondered how you get triangles from a cow, you need buttermilk and cheese and an equilateral chainsaw. Half Man Half Biscuit