ABSTRACT
The previous chapters have argued that archaeological knowledge and practice, as a form of expertise, may be taken up and utilized by governments, their bureaucracies and policy makers to help them get things done (Dean 1999). In particular, archaeological knowledge and practice may be used to help governments understand, interpret and arbitrate over a range of often competing cultural and other claims made based on an understanding of ‘the past’. These claims are often consequential in assessing the political legitimacy in negotiations between governments and other interests.
