Survey on Field Safety: Middle East, North Africa, and Mediterranean Basin

SURVEY ON FIELD SAFETY (UPDATE 2024): MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, AND THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN
FOR NEW PARTICIPANTS AND FOR ALL THOSE WHO TOOK THE SURVEYIN 2014, 2015, &/or 2019

Stories about romantic escapades on archaeological excavations are legend, as anyone who hasworked on a dig can surely attest. We have all heard about happy relationships that began in thefield and thrived for decades. But as we also know, excavation lore contains stories of other kindsof “relationships,” as well. This Survey on Field Safety: Middle East, North Africa, andMediterranean Basin (Update 2024) is designed to understand the ways in which archaeologicalfieldwork does – or does not – provide a safe and secure setting for all participants. In particular,it focuses on physical and emotional safety from intimidation, harassment and violence based ongender, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. It queries, as well, changes that have – or havenot – taken place since the original surveys of 2014, 2015, and 2019.

Participants on archaeological field projects in the Middle East, North Africa, and theMediterranean Basin, whether volunteers or staff, live and work within what has been termed a“state of exception.” They are in foreign countries, far from home. They may live and work inisolated settings. They may be unable travel easily for reasons relating to language, finances,inexperience, scarcity of transportation, dependence upon team leaders, lack of friends orsupportive community members, unfamiliarity with local legal systems and/or cultural norms,inhospitable legal systems and/or cultural norms, political unrest, and more. For these reasons,such individuals may be unable to protect themselves from aggressive and unwanted violationsof their personal safety and security, and they may find that effective means of dealing withintimidation, harassment, and violence are limited or even non-existent. Conversely, under suchconditions, some individuals may be more likely to engage in subtle or flagrant violations ofaccepted normative behavior.

Beyond documenting and quantifying experiences, the goals of this survey project include buildingcollaboration among professional societies and institutes in order to: determine those factors thatcontribute to safe and unsafe fieldwork environments; identify areas in which further research isnecessary; determine best practices and the means by which to implement them; developstandards, policies and protocols designed to educate and inform all participants in archaeologicalexcavations about ethics and laws in the field and on research projects; develop and offer onlinetrainings; and, provide access to relevant documents for excavation leaders, staff, volunteers, and employees.

Whether or not you have taken this survey in the past, and whichever kinds of experiences youhave had, we hope that you will click on the link below, take the survey, and help us makearchaeology safer for everyone. Feel free to circulate this letter and the survey link to anyone youthink might be interested in it. Finally, if you would like to receive follow-up information regardingthe results of this survey, please contact the Principal Investigator, Beth Alpert Nakhai, Ph.D.,R.P.A., Professor Emerita, Arizona Center for Judaic Studies & School of Anthropology, Universityof Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (bnakhai@arizona.edu).

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE BY NOVEMBER 10, 2024
bit.ly/FieldSafety2024

List of publications of the past surveys is available here