The latest Open Textbook project to join the Rebus Community is the first of its kind in its field. Aptly titled From the Ground Up: An Introduction to North American Archaeology, this book brings together an intergenerational and international team of scholars to shed light on the multiple voices and vibrant diversity within North American archaeology.
The project is led by Dr. Katie Kirakosian from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with support from a steering committee of colleagues who will offer support and advice throughout the process. The decision to pursue the project was fueled by feedback Katie had received from her colleagues in the field about existing textbooks, which don’t often contain diverse perspectives or include primary data with which students can practice.
Katie hopes that this book will “make North American archaeology more accessible and help archaeologists inspire and train the next generation.”
In contrast to existing books, this textbook is committed to including voices from descendant communities and community members, as well as perspectives from individuals in various archaeological sectors, including academia, CRM, museums, non-profits, and the government. It will discuss regional sections that summarize indigenous and non-indigenous cultures and allow students to explore culture change across space and time. In addition, this open textbook will include primary data whenever possible so students can see the data behind archaeological interpretations and can practice making interpretations of their own. The focus of the book is on presenting how material culture and other data help to understand the lived experiences of people through time and space.
As the first step, Katie is seeking contributors to form teams of 6-10 people around each chapter, who will be responsible for:
- Creating an outline for the chapter that will be shared with other contributors for feedback
- Writing the initial “background” chapter for their region
- Securing a case study of a particular site or landscape within that region
- Potentially contributing to peer review, beta testing, creating ancillary materials and other activities related to the project
If you are interested in joining one of these teams, you can view the list of chapters, and sign up on the contributor sign up thread in the Rebus Community forum. Or, if you want to find out more about the project, you can read the full project summary and post any questions you may have on the discussion thread.
From the Ground Up will be available for adoption in 2018. Follow the project on the Rebus Community forum for updates!