Co-chairs: Alison Wylie (University of Washington) & Sonya Atalay (Indiana University)
The Research Ethics Working Group is concerned with building a resource set for those grappling with Intellectual Property ethics issues in archaeological practice, focusing on the special demands and rewards of collaborative research. First, we have worked to create an archive of ethics guidelines, protocols, procedures, and agreement models. Further projects involve developing a comparative ethnohistory of evolving ethics ideals and practices; compile and analyze best practice wisdoms from IPinCH case studies; and develop conferences focusing on collaborative models, practices, and further guidelines. Such projects create useful resources in theory and practice, and for multiple audiences. Because most archaeological best practices have arisen from particular contexts, IPinCH’s collaborative case studies themselves will prove informative. The ethnohistory project is intended to document this, while the others provide more analytical frameworks – all with the aim of providing guidance for emerging ethics dilemmas and playing an informative role in future archaeological research. We ask that prospective Working Group members help us build the archive that will be the basis for the other projects. The “fee” for joining is to identify at least one principle, code of conduct, Memorandum of Agreement, protocol, or concept that you find useful, problematic, or in need of analysis. This will be an anchor for thinking about best practices, selecting foci for life histories of ethics, and meta-analysis of the IPinCH case studies.
Selected Activities and Output:
• “Expanding Interdisciplinarity: From Campus to Community” Public Panel and Workshop, Simpson Center for the Humanities, U. of Washington, organized by Alison Wylie, June 2008;
• “Constructive Engagement: Scientific and Aboriginal Communities in Collaboration” Public Panel organized by Alison Wylie, SFU Harbour Centre, Vancouver, June 2009;
• Compilation and KB entry of 80 examples of Memoranda of Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding illustrating negotiations among stakeholders in the area of IP and Research ethics;
• Compilation and KB entry of over 70 examples of professional society statements on ethics from a variety of scientific and humanities disciplines, and more than 20 statements by archaeological societies on topics related to IP and research ethics (e.g., museum acquisition policies);
• Comments on the Draft 2nd Edition of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans sent to the Tri-council Panel on Research Ethics, June 30, 2009;
• Initial identification of key concepts and themes to guide systematic indexing and/or content analysis of resources and structure interviews with IPinCH case study members, in part, based on discussions at the October 2010 IPinCH Community-based Cultural Heritage Research workshop; and
• Sven Ouzman is including IP issues in a policy on Human Remains now under development at the Iziko Museum, South Africa, plus drafting a separate IP document for use of any archaeological material, related photographs, meta-data, electronic data.
Publications:
Bell, C. and C. Shier. forthcoming 2012. Control of Information Originating from Aboriginal Communities: Legal and Ethical Contexts. Inuit Studies 35 (1-2) (special IP and Ethics issue).
Carr-Locke, S. and G. Nicholas 2011. Working Towards Greater Equity and Understanding: Examples of Collaborative Archaeology and Museum Initiatives with Indigenous Peoples in North America. SfAA Newsletter 22(1): 4-9.
Nicholas, G. and A. Wylie. forthcoming 2012. “Do Not Do Unto Others...”: Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches to Identifying Indigenous Heritage Concerns and Avoiding Harm. In Appropriating the Past: Philosophical Perspectives on Archaeological Practice, edited by R. Coningham and G. Scarre. Cambridge University Press.
Nicholas, G., C. Bell, J. Watkins, J. Welch and K. Bannister. 2009. Comments on the Draft 2nd Edition of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. Submitted to the Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics of the Tri-Council of Canadian Research Agencies, Jun. 30.
Presentations:
Bell, C. 2010. Access to and Control Over Data and Products of Research: IP, Research and Tribunal Contexts. Presented to the Canadian Bar Association North, Nov. 3.
Bell, C. 2011. We Are This: Ethical and Legal Responses to Protection of Indigenous Cultural Heritage in Canada. Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Israel, Apr. 11.
Hollowell, J., organizer. 2009. Symposium on Ethics and Community-based Fieldwork: Sharing Lessons Learned and Good Practices. Participants included C. Bell, J. Anderson, S. Loring DePauw U., Greencastle, IN, Apr. 21.
Nagy, M. 2010, organizer, Intellectual Property and Ethics Session. Inuit Studies Conference, Val-d'Or, QC, Oct. 28-30.
Bell, C. 2010. Access to and Control over Information Originating from Aboriginal Communities in Canada. Inuit Studies Conference, Val-d'Or, QC,Oct. 28.
Bell, C. 2010. Respect, Rigour and Responsibility: Collaborative Ethics Practices and the Academy. Inuit Studies Conference, Val-d'Or, QC, Oct. 29.
Lyons, N. 2010. The Middle Ground: Negotiating the nature and ownership of research outcomes in collaborative projects with Aboriginal communities. Inuit Studies Conference, Val-d'Or, QC, Oct. 28.
Nicholas, G. 2009. The Ethical Dimensions of Intellectual Property in Cultural Heritage: Community-Based Approaches to Identifying and Avoiding Harm. Appropriating the Past: The Uses and Abuses of Cultural Heritage Conference. Durham University, St Hild and Bede College, Jul. 7.
Two Bears, D. and D. McGill. 2011. Seeking Best Practices and Important Themes in Collaborative Research Agreements. Indigenous People and Museums, World Archaeological Congress Intercongress,?Indianapolis, June 24.
