The Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) is a professional organization of scholars concerned with the

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

of the

modern world The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...

(15th century-present). Founded in 1967, the SHA promotes scholarly research and the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to

historical archaeology Historical archaeology is a form of archaeology dealing with places, things, and issues from the past or present when written records and oral traditions can inform and contextualize cultural material. These records can both complement and conflict ...

. The society is specifically interested in the identification, excavation, interpretation, and conservation of sites and materials on land and underwater. It is the largest such organization in the world and the third largest anthropological organization in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Mission

According to its Constitution, :The Society for Historical Archaeology shall be an educational

not-for-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

to promote scholarly research and the dissemination of knowledge concerning historical archaeology; to exchange information in this field; to hold periodic conferences to discuss problems of mutual interest relating to the study of historical archaeology; and to obtain the cooperation of the concerned disciplines for projects of research. The focus shall be the era since the beginning of explorations of the non-European parts of the world by Europeans, with prime concern in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...

. The society may additionally concern itself with European, Oceanic, African, and Asian archaeology having definite bearing upon scholarly problems in the Western Hemisphere. The SHA’s “Ethical Principles of The Society for Historical Archaeology” provide further guidance to society members, historical archaeologists, and those in allied fields regarding one’s

ethical Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

obligations to the

archaeological record The archaeological record is the body of physical (not written) evidence about the past. It is one of the core concepts in archaeology, the academic discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the archaeological record. Archaeological th ...

, colleagues, employers, and the public.

Formation

With the

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA; Public Law 89-665; 54 U.S.C. 300101 ''et seq.'') is legislation intended to preserve historic and archaeological sites in the United States of America. The act created the National Register of Historic ...

and the United States’ approaching

Bicentennial __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe *French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...

, the mid-twentieth century witnessed a renewed interest in

colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...

and a growing scholarly interest in the archaeology of the modern world. These trends encouraged the development of a professional organization devoted to the study and practice of historical archaeology. At the 1958 Annual Meeting of the

American Anthropological Association The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, John L. Cotter chaired a symposium on the Role of Archaeology in Historical Research. Cotter,

Edward B. Jelks Edward Baker Jelks (September 10, 1922 – December 22, 2021) was an American archaeologist trained as a prehistorian yet known for his contributions to historical archaeology and leadership roles in multiple anthropological organizations, incl ...

, Edward Larrabee, and Stanley South subsequently discussed forming a society devoted to historical archaeology. Jelks, following a second such discussion at the meeting of the Central States Anthropological Society in St. Louis in 1966, began to plan an “International Conference on Historical Archaeology." That conference was held January 6–7, 1967, at

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The conference drew 112 attendees, with 17 papers by scholars including Charles Cleland,

James Deetz James Deetz (February 8, 1930 – November 25, 2000) was an American anthropologist, often known as one of the fathers of historical archaeology. His work focused on culture change and the cultural aspects inherent in the historic and archae ...

, Bernard Fontana, J.C. "Pinky" Harrington, and

Roderick Sprague Roderick Sprague III (February 18, 1933 – August 20, 2012) was an American anthropologist, ethnohistorian and historical archaeologist, and the Emeritus Director of the Laboratory of Anthropology at the University of Idaho in Moscow, where ...

. The SHA was officially incorporated on April 1, 1968, in

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

, and John Cotter was elected to serve as its first president.

Publications

SHA publishes its

peer-reviewed journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and d ...

''Historical Archaeology'' quarterly with online publication of Book Reviews and Technical Briefs. The SHA reader series, ''Perspectives from Historical Archaeology'', offers subject matter and regional selections of articles published in ''Historical Archaeology''. The SHA Newsletter is published quarterly in March, June, October, and December. The SHA also maintains a

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

where members and non-members read, share, and discuss topics posted by SHA leadership.

Awards

The Society presents several awards, medals and travel stipends yearly, including: * J. C. Harrington Award in Historical Archaeology – presented for a life-time of contributions to the discipline centered on scholarship. * John L. Cotter Award – presented each year for outstanding achievement by an individual at the start of his/her career in historical archaeology. * Daniel G. Roberts Award for Excellence in Public Historical Archaeology – recognizes outstanding accomplishments in public archaeology by individuals, educational institutions, for-profit or non-profit firms or organizations, museums, government agencies, private sponsors or projects. * SHA Award of Merit – recognizes specific achievements of individuals and organizations that have furthered the cause of historical archaeology. * James Deetz Book Award – intended to recognize books and monographs that are similarly well written and accessible to all potential readers.

Meetings

After the 1967 conference in Dallas, the Society’s first annual meeting took place in 1968 in

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...

. The table below shows the meeting locations and dates since 2007. The society in association with the

Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology The Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA) serves as an international advisory body on issues relating to underwater archaeology, conservation, and submerged cultural resources management. It works to educate scholars, governments, sport ...

also organises the annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology which takes place every January for the delivery of papers and symposia as well as social and professional interaction.

Leadership

The 2018-2019 SHA leadership is as follows: *President: Mark S. Warner

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...

*President-Elect: Barbara Heath

University of Tennessee, Knoxville The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

*Secretary: Shannon Dunn,

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

*Treasurer: Sara F. Mascia, Historical Perspectives, Inc.

References

Jelks, Edward B. 1993. The Founding Meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology, 6 January 1967. ''Historical Archaeology'' 27(1):10-11
JSTOR
{{cite web , url=http://www.sha.org/about/whoweare.cfm , title=The Society for Historical Archaeology , accessdate=2010-08-04 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826113654/http://www.sha.org/about/whoweare.cfm , archivedate=2010-08-26

External links

Official websiteSHA blog
Archaeological organizations Organizations established in 1967