Page 87 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 13(1) (2025)

development policies, including the Nation- tion – Historical Studies) at the University of
al Heritage Act (2004), environmental regula- Namibia. From 1995 until 2022, it was taught as
tions, and frameworks guiding Environmental a unit in the history courses as part of the Bach-
Impact Assessments (EIAs). The review exam- elor of Arts and the Bachelor of Education pro-
ined how these instruments have influenced the grammes at the University of Namibia.
role of archaeology within sustainable develop- There are various terms by which contract
ment and cultural resource management, with a archaeology is known throughout the world.
particular focus on the extent to which they pro- In the United Kingdom, it is mainly known as
mote the regulation and standardisation of ar- commercial archaeology. In the United States of
chaeological practice. Additionally, regional pol- America, it is called rescue or salvage archaeol-
icies and legislation – such as those from South ogy. In southern Africa, the term ‘contract ar-
Africa and from professional bodies like the As- chaeology’ is used more widely. In some cases,
sociation of Southern African Professional Ar- these terms are used interchangeably. However, 87
chaeologists (ASAPA) – were analysed to pro- such interchangeable usage does not consider the
vide a comparative perspective on the regulatory fundamental differences that can be observed in
environment for archaeology in Namibia. the practice of such archaeologies. While there
The data collected through document and are some similarities in the origins of these prac-
policy review were analysed thematically to tices, there are also some critical differences. One
identify recurring patterns, discourses, and gaps key difference is that commercial archaeology is
in the regulation of contract archaeology. Key a business run on a profit basis while contract,
themes included the influence of political and rescue, or salvage archaeology does not necessar-
economic agendas, the role of consultancy firms, ily have to result in financial gain on the part of
capacity challenges, and the need for standard the contracting archaeologist. The state cannot
operating procedures (SOPs) and ethical guide- offer commercial services in archaeology since its
lines. This thematic interpretation enabled the role is that of a regulator. Contract, salvage, or History and Practice of Contract Archaeology in Namibia
researcher to critically assess how contract ar- rescue archaeology can be practiced by the state
chaeology is practiced and understood within without the need for the developer to pay more
Namibia’s heritage landscape. than the required operational budget. The her-
itage legislation in Namibia, however, demands
Terminology that the developer pays the contracting archaeol-
Contract archaeology provides professional ser- ogist, which technically makes the practice prof-
vices such as ‘carrying out surveys, excavations it oriented.
and analyses for development projects, usually In commercial archaeology, on the other
as part of a larger-scale environmental impact as- hand, the contracting partner pays a market-re-
sessment’ (Kinahan 2013, 1). According to Kina- lated professional fee that is profitable on the
han, contract archaeology is the area of archaeol- part of the archaeologist or consulting firm. Fees
ogy in which more and more archaeologists are for these professional archaeological services are
working (Kinahan 2013, 1). Archaeologists have then determined by market forces. Archaeology
opted to practice contract archaeology because in these circumstances is considered as heritage
there are few posts for archaeologists in muse- that can be commodified and is also perceived
ums and heritage agencies. There is no full ac- as subordinate within a commercial framework.
ademic archaeology in Namibian universities, There is also a difference between con-
which makes it impossible to employ trained ar- tract archaeology and rescue or salvage archae-
chaeologists in institutions of higher learning. ology. While contract archaeology has a provi-
However, archaeology is taught as part of the sion for salvaging or rescuing material evidence,
new Bachelor of Arts in Humanities (specialisa- this is not its express aim. As it is practiced in