Surveying the Industry: A Professional Profile of Cultural Resource Management in Canada
Abstract
Cultural Resource Management (CRM) has transformed the practice of archaeology; however, little is known regarding general make-up and demographics for this dominant form of archaeological practice. Even less is understood concerning the views and sentiments of its practitioners. In Canada, no jurisdiction maintains practitioner profiles; subsequently, their training or understanding of the roles they play in mediating heritage resource compliance requirements for clients, Descendant communities, or heritage stakeholders like the wider archaeological community, is relatively unknown. Despite recent discourse focused on the operational side of CRM (e.g., nature, output, and consequences) insight on the values, ideals, and level expertise of practitioners is scarce. Hoping to further CRM comprehension, this thesis initiated two nation-wide surveys in 2021. The results outlined in this thesis provide new and improved observations of CRM practice, establishing a baseline future and longitudinal studies may draw from in the coming years, further developing a professional profile of CRM.