We wanted to take real information: public engagement and regional survey at Petra, Jordan

Abstract

Since 2010 the Brown University Petra Archaeological Project (BUPAP) has been conducting a diachronic regional survey of the landscape north of Petra. In 2013 the authors conducted ethnographic interviews with members of the local communities surrounding Petra, the Bdul and Ammarin Bedouin tribes of Umm Sayhun and Bayda. These interviews aimed to understand contemporary engagements with, and attitudes towards, a landscape that has overwhelmingly been valued for its archaeological and heritage resources. This article combines regional survey and ethnographic methodologies in order to construct complex, multivocal narratives about archaeological remains. We also suggest locally appropriate modes of advocacy that archaeologists might productively pursue at Petra. In particular the results of our project highlight the importance of integrating the historically underrepresented voices of local groups into dialogues concerning conservation, water management and tourism, as well as diachronic interpretations of landscapes.

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