Take the SAA Archaeological Ethics Survey

Apr 22, 2020

In 1996, the SAA Executive Board adopted the Principles of Archaeological Ethics, as proposed by the SAA Ethics in Archaeology Committee. These principles guide archaeologists "in negotiating the complex responsibilities they have to archaeological resources, and to all who have an interest in these resources or are otherwise affected by archaeological practice" (Lynott and Wylie 1995:8). These principles are one of the foundational documents for the Society and are meant to express the members’ views on the ethical practice of archaeology.

In Fall 2018, the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) board of directors created the Task Force on the Revision of the SAA Principles of Archaeological Ethics: Stage 2 (TF 2). The main task of TF 2 is to develop and deploy this survey to collect feedback on the current ethical principles and suggestions for revision.

After the survey, a webinar and virtual listening session and other activities to collect public comments will follow. In addition to seeking feedback on existing principles, this survey aims to collect feedback on membership attitudes towards organizational ethics as an aspirational code or as a living document. The main objectives of the survey are to gather membership feedback on revising the SAA Code of Ethics and to compile data with preliminary interpretations to guide Task Force 3 in its mission to revise the Ethics, in both content and form, if it is the wishes of the membership to do so. It is anticipated that the survey will take you 15-20 minutes to complete.

The survey is open to SAA members, former members, and non-members. The survey closes May 15, 2020.

You can access the survey by clicking on this link or on the graphic below.

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