SAA Statement on Sexual Harassment and Violence (2015)
Archaeologists’ learning and work environments are the
context not only for the many duties of professionals in our field but
also for cultivating confident and effective future generations of
archaeologists. Today, archaeologists have many roles: instructional
staff and students in classroom, lab, and field settings; curatorial
staff in non-profit and government museums; cultural heritage managers
and educators in governmental, tribal, and public utility settings;
supervisors and employees in private cultural resource/heritage
management firms; and participants in professional meetings and
conferences. All of these contexts bring practitioners into contact with
members of an increasingly diverse population of students, employees,
and colleagues.
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) places high
value on assuring that educational and work experiences in archaeology
are optimal for all to develop and practice relevant skills and
knowledge. Intimidation based upon sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, disability, national origin, religion, or
marital status, actual or perceived, has been legally recognized as
having a chilling effect on learning and workplace experiences, not only
for the targets of such behavior but also for others witnessing it.
The U.S. federal government has implemented laws for
educational and workplace settings to ensure that all students and
employees, regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation,
ethnicity, disability, national origin, religion, or marital status,
have access to an equal educational and work experience, free from
discrimination, harassment, or assault. Other national, tribal, state,
provincial, and local governments have also passed legislation
prohibiting such behavior. Policies and practices of institutions in
which archaeologists work often describe in detail the nature of such
intimidating or violent behavior and how persons who have been targeted,
or others who witness such behavior, can seek redress.
It is imperative that all SAA members educate
themselves on their country’s, nation’s, state’s, province’s, and
institution’s laws, regulations, policies, and procedures pertaining to
sexual, gender, and other forms of harassment and violence, and abide by
these when teaching, learning, working, and engaging in collegial
interactions. Those who serve as instructional staff or principal
investigators have special legal and ethical responsibilities and should
be aware of these in all situations.
SAA’ s Board of Directors is especially concerned that
archaeological field schools and research experiences follow the
guidelines and procedures of their sponsoring agency and/or institution,
which the Board believes hold regardless of the location of the
instructional site. Members of field schools—both instructional staff
and students—must be informed of their obligations, rights, and avenues
of redress.1 The Board stresses that in all other contexts,
practitioners must conduct themselves in accordance with relevant laws
and regulations and have an ethical responsibility to intervene in cases
where they observe peers violating relevant laws.2
To facilitate this, the SAA Board of Directors has posted a document, entitled SAA Background and Resource Guide for Addressing Harassment and Violence,
containing relevant U.S. federal government legislation, definitions,
and opinions on its relevance to archaeology, reviewed by legal counsel.
1 Muckle, Bob (2014). “
On Sexual Harassment and Assault in Archaeology,” The SAA
Archaeological Record 14, no. 5:32-33.
2 Wood, Bernard (2015). "
Zero tolerance. Period." Science 350, no. 6260:487-487.