Stories we tell: myths at the heart of ‘community archaeology’

This paper forms part of a project to attempt to understand what we are really doing when we engage in the practices of public archaeology and heritage. It starts from the premise that there is no necessary correlation between intention and outcome, nor that practice follows belief. Instead, we construct our ideas about the world, about ourselves, our values and associations from what we do. The stories told here raise issues about the ability of archaeology to change the world and the distinction that we can too easily blur between professional expertise and citizenship.