Mazen Iwaisi is a Palestinian archaeologist whose work is focused on the geopolitics of Palestinian archaeology practice and theory. He has obtained his PhD from Queen's University Belfast on the concept of archaeo-politics in the making of the Palestinian National Spatial Plan — his research centres on archaeology and cultural heritage and how they relate to spatial and urban planning.
Theory from Below: Family Museums as Spaces of Knowledge Production and Epistemological Resistance in Palestine
This intervention examines how local Palestinian communities embody "theory in action" through family-based museums, challenging traditional museological frameworks and institutional practices. Drawing from ethnographic research on three family museums in the West Bank, I discuss how these grassroots initiatives represent a form of theory in action that emerges organically from community needs rather than institutional mandates. These museums operate as living experiences where theoretical concepts of heritage preservation, cultural memory, and community engagement are tested, adapted, and reimagined through daily practice.
The analysis reveals how family museums function as sites of epistemological resistance, deploying strategies that transcend mere preservation. These museums actively challenge hegemonic knowledge production systems of colonial archaeology by legitimizing local epistemologies that have been systematically marginalized. Through meticulous documentation of family histories and material culture, they directly confront Israeli settler-colonial narratives of terra nullius landscapes. By establishing autonomous spaces for knowledge production beyond the quasi-state apparatus and NGO networks, these museums engage in what I call 'epistemic disobedience.' Their approaches to preservation, curation, and community engagement generate theoretical innovations that emerge from lived experiences of resistance to dispossession - not as abstract academic exercises but as urgent responses to ongoing cultural erasure and spatial eradication.
By focusing on how theory emerges from practice in these settings, this intervention proposes a more grounded understanding of "theory in action" - one that recognizes local communities as theoretical innovators rather than just practitioners. This work contributes to broader discussions about decolonial museum practices, community-based heritage management, and the role of families in generating new theoretical frameworks for cultural preservation. The goal is to demonstrate how family museums represent not just the application of theory but the active creation of theoretical knowledge through lived experience and daily practice.
Sadie Watson FSA MCIfA is a leading proponent of embedding social value in developer funded archaeology. She is Site Director at Museum of London Archaeology, a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leader Fellowship holder, an Honorary Research Associate at the University of York and has played leading roles in the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA). Sadie is not only noted for her work on social value in archaeology, but also in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in archaeology, and Roman London.
Just Do Something: Fieldwork as Action against a Backdrop of Inaction
York’s TAG offers the perfect opportunity for an ‘applied’ / practice-based researcher situated
in the developer-funded system to contribute, with the theme encouraging us to move from a
theory-based position to one of actionable agendas, perhaps with fieldwork at the core. But
experience shows that contracting archaeology is not an area of practice that benefits from
reflection, and glacial methodological progress generally emerges due to commercial
obligations. Often it is held back by them despite the urgent need for a significant overhaul in
the face of current pressures. How then, can theoretical advances help in this context? And
where do the archaeologists themselves fit within the broader narrative of contemporary
archaeological theory?
Gabe Moshenska is Professor in Public Archaeology. His research interests range wildly from gas masks and ghost stories to internet memes and the contested reception of Milton’s theological writings in the nineteenth century. His fieldwork is focused on collaborative archaeology and heritage projects in Spain, Finland, Kenya, and the UK.
Fail better: crises, critiques, and disciplinary histories
The history of archaeology has played various roles in the forward march of archaeological theory, from teleological crutch and ideological bludgeon to the proverbial drunkard’s lamp-post. In this brief paper I propose that delving into the darker and dirtier elements of disciplinary history can be an intellectually generative practice that offers critical insights into contemporary crises whether economic, political, or moral.
Gabe Moshenska is a Professor at UCL working on conflict archaeology, public and community archaeology, and the history of archaeology. His current research projects include collaborative fieldwork in Kenya on sites of British colonial violence, histories of public protest against archaeology worldwide, and historical archaeologies of children’s experiences of violent conflict.
