I don’t know about this, there’s no job in it, and it’s not for people like me: Socioeconomic Diversity in Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology in UK Higher Education

Abstract

Twenty-five years of Profiling the Profession surveys have consistently shown that the United Kingdom’s professional archaeologists come overwhelmingly from relatively affluent backgrounds. Anecdotal evidence suggests that archaeology student cohorts are more diverse than the professional field, but student cohorts undertaking courses focused on ancient Near Eastern (ANE) archaeology are even more heavily skewed toward more affluent socioeconomic demographics. This article presents the results of a pilot study collecting data concerning the socioeconomic background of undergraduate archaeology students, their perceptions of ANE archaeology and its practitioners, and their motivations for choosing whether to study ANE-focused courses during their archaeology degrees. The results identify broad relationships between the socioeconomic backgrounds of students and their degree program decision-making, revealing a series of push factors that discourage engagement with the subdiscipline.