In New Perspectives in Cultural Resource Management, editor Francis P. McManamon has assembled a solid volume that provides an overview of the origins and development of the modern cultural resources management (CRM) industry, along with its current challenges and future opportunities. It includes contributions from many prominent people who were instrumental in the formative years of the industry, as well as experienced practitioners who are actively engaged in CRM today.
The book consists of 16 chapters organized into four thematic sections: Part I, “Historical Perspectives and Overview,” includes four chapters; Part II, “Development, Resource Management, and CRM: Federal, State, Tribal, and Private Sector Programs,” includes five chapters; Part III, “CRM Challenges and Opportunities,” includes five chapters; and Part IV, “Building on the Past and Present: Future Challenges and Opportunities,” includes two chapters. Each section is logically organized, so readers can navigate to those particular subjects that draw their interest.
The book's major strength is its focus on historical perspectives. In addition to McManamon's introductory chapter, multiple authors provide context on the formative years of CRM, including the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in 1966, the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) in 1969, and other national legislation in the 1970s; the Denver Cultural Resource Management conference and Airlie House seminar (both of which were significant events in the formative years of CRM that resulted in groundbreaking publications); philosophical debates about the goals of CRM; and examples of early, prominent, large-scale projects. On these points alone, the book is a valuable contribution.
The public value of CRM is widely acknowledged in principle. However, as noted by multiple authors, effective public outreach and engagement is limited by rote and routine practices with little evaluation of whether or not they are actually achieving the intended outcomes. Examples of this can be found in the production of trivial results at sometimes great cost, as Owen Lindauer notes in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, Sarah Schlanger and Signa Larralde ask rhetorically if the number of archaeological sites that are identified and acres that are surveyed are effective measures of CRM's success. Heidi Roberts (Chapter 10) rightly questions what new knowledge has been generated as a result of CRM studies and whether recording Barbie dolls is a justifiable expenditure of public funds. Lynne Sebastian (Chapter 15) summarizes the greatest challenge facing CRM today—namely, “trying to increase the public benefit of the work we do” (p. 269). In short, the industry needs to find better, innovative, and creative ways to make the information, data, and results accessible to the public rather than simply continuing the same practices because that is what has always been done.
Since early 2020, American society has been undergoing a reckoning that all of us are experiencing firsthand and in real time. That reckoning is forcing our society to confront systemic racism. Archaeology is not immune to these forces, especially as it relates to Indigenous, Black, and other minority perspectives and resources. In light of how much has changed since 2020, the lack of diversity in CRM is particularly glaring in this volume. It is reflective of the entire industry and not the fault of the editor or contributors. However, it highlights the need to not only seek greater diversity among CRM practitioners but also make sure that CRM works for all Americans.
Cindy Dongoske, Kurt Dongoske, and T. J. Ferguson (Chapter 8) focus explicitly on Zuni perspectives of CRM, and theirs is the only contribution from an Indigenous perspective. This chapter describes the history and development of the Zuni historic preservation program and its various iterations. More importantly—and at times uncomfortably—however, Dongoske and colleagues note the inherent conflict between Euro-American and Native American perspectives and how this both disadvantages Native Americans in the Section 106 process and perpetuates colonialism. The importance of engaging descendant communities is also addressed briefly by other contributors. Don Fowler (Chapter 4) notes that ethical obligations facing archaeologists—including the handling and analysis of human remains and the building of relationships with descendant communities—have existed since the earliest days of CRM, and these continue today. Paul Robinson (Chapter 7) identifies one of the most important challenges facing CRM today: establishing and sustaining relationships with Indigenous people and other descendant and minority groups.
Although the title refers to CRM, the focus of this book is exclusively archaeological. Readers hoping for a comprehensive view of CRM that encompasses the full range of the discipline—including ethnography, history, architectural history, cultural landscapes, traditional cultural properties, and museums and collections—will be disappointed. Unfortunately, the emphasis on archaeology highlights one of the ongoing criticisms of CRM: the discipline is too narrowly focused on archaeology given that it encompasses far more. As Teresita Majewski (Chapter 9) points out, this focus has proven to be shortsighted and counterproductive for CRM in the long term. The archaeological emphasis is good for archaeology, but it is a missed opportunity for recognizing, valuing, and appreciating much broader aspects of American culture.
One of the key takeaways of this volume is that understanding the historical development of CRM is critical to assessing what has worked, what has not worked, and what CRM will look like in the future. New Perspectives in Cultural Resource Management contributes to all of those areas. Figuring out how to make CRM more diverse, inclusive, and representative is perhaps the biggest challenge.
