Issues in Consulting Archaeology

Most North American archaeological research is currently part of environmental impact assessment and cultural heritage management. Consulting archaeology addresses sites / localities at risk of disturbance from development while working in a competitive business environment. Since such development often triggers constitutional obligations to address Aboriginal and treaty rights, consulting archaeologists are increasingly engaging with Indigenous communities. These new realities raise complex conceptual ethical, operational and social challenges. These are reviewed through case studies associated with doing archaeology within a business framework.