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From its inception, archaeology was perceived as the domain of expert practitioners of the scientific method. The history of disjuncture between archaeological site research and local community development springs from the myths of Western scientific superior knowledge. The archaeologist-scientist-expert came armed with scientific method to excavate samples and take his reports back to Europe/America for fellow scholars. The early stereotype of the negative relationship between archaeology and community was passed on from the colonial period to the era of nationalization. The new national antiquities authorities inherited the disconnection between archaeology and local communities as the status quo. Though treated in a global context, this paper focuses on the history of this stereotype in the Levant, but gives an optimistic view of the present and future trend towards greater inclusion, using the Umm el-Jimal Project as a case in point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological parks have enjoyed considerable success in both presenting excavation results to the public and, often, in benefiting local communities. While many such parks focus on large and visually impressive sites, smaller sites also can benefit from this approach to archaeological presentation. Here, we present the results of a modest park at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Ghwair I in the remote Wadi Faynan of southern Jordan. The park was constructed after several excavation seasons, and consists priamarily of a simple series of trails and signage, accompanied by a brochure in both Arabic and English. This article addresses how Ghwair I fits into broader eco-tourism of the Wadi Faynan area and examines some of the pragmatic issues that were faced, including funding and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life during the first Gilded Age in the United States (1865-1925) was a time of considerable social differentiation between rich and poor. Newly arrived immigrants with little money were often relegated to substandard housing in American cities. In this study, I argue that some nonwealthy immigrants were racialized as poor, and I investigate whether this racial categorization created homogeneity in housing and material culture. I use the Five Points district in New York City as my point of investigation, confining my analysis to the late 19th century. My findings are that both tenement housing and artifact possession were generally homogeneous when the analysis is performed at the societal scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]