Digging for history: Archaeological fieldwork and the adult student 1943-1975
Author: Speight S.
Source: Studies in the Education of Adults, Volume 34, Number 1, 1 April 2002 , pp. 68-85(18)
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Abstract:
Social change in Britain after World War II is often cited as a factor in the decline of traditional adult education. Using archaeology as a case study, this article argues that, for this subject, the period was particularly conducive to expansion, and that decline was delayed until the 1970s. The period 1943-75 saw steady growth in numbers of university- and field-based archaeologists, heightened awareness of archaeological issues and growth in the provision of extra-mural archaeology. Adult students demanded practical involvement and formed a lobby seeking the 'professionalisation' of the discipline. The article concludes by considering the decline in extra-mural fieldwork from the 1970s, arguing that the factors and successes of the post-war period were themselves part of the recipe for decline. As archaeology became the preserve of professionals, the amateur adult student was squeezed out.Document Type: Research article
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