Leiden University Student Repository

Bosman, Evelien (2019)

You call this archaeology?! Archaeologists in the Netherlands according to the Dutch public

Master thesis | Archaeology (MA/MSc)

When archaeologists mention their profession during a party, the first thing they hear is “Oh, like Indiana Jones! I wanted to be and archaeologist when I was little, finding gold seems so exciting”. This short text illustrates that the image of archaeologists seems to be different from reality. There seem to be several stereotypes about archaeologists, these can seem innocent, but they can have real effects on the field of archaeology as a whole. All kinds of wild stereotypes that are attached to archaeologists can have influence on their work and on the importance of archaeology in the eye of the public. This is not beneficial for public support or professional relations. This thesis investigated the current image of archaeologists in the Netherlands. A survey was launched to find out what the Dutch public thinks archaeologists are like and what they do in their line of work.

Public archaeology

Public survey

Image of archaelogists

Popular media

Author

Bosman, Evelien

Faculty

Faculty of Archaeology

Specialisation

Heritage management in a World Context

Supervisors

Manders, Martijn

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en