This paper explores the implementation of community archaeology at Old Dongola in Sudan from the point of view of the author as a field archaeologist. Focusing on recent efforts to actively involve local communities in archaeological practices, this contribution reflects on how participatory methods can foster mutual trust, address the historical marginalization of local labor, and enhance collaborative interpretation within the trenches. Drawing on the experiences of the UMMA and Dialogue projects, the paper reflects on methodological adaptations that honor local knowledge and address complex community dynamics, including the delicate balance between cultural narratives. By positioning community engagement as an essential, integrated practice rather than a peripheral approach, this case study illustrates the broader potential for community archaeology to bridge the gap between academic research and local heritage, ultimately advocating for its role as a standard in modern archaeological methodology.
Community engagement approaches, along with the development of capacity building and knowledge transfer under the aegis of such, have grown rapidly in recent years within archaeology as a discipline. With increasing adaptation of community-engaged methodologies among archaeological projects in Sudan have come additional opportunities for further engagement in the realm of bioarchaeological research. Given the unique aspects of bioarchaeology centered around documentation of burials and analyses of skeletal remains, a key arena of engaged approaches has been the development of dedicated workshops to provide methodological training in conjunction with hands-on opportunities during fieldwork. Such capacity development plays an important role in facilitating bioarchaeological inquiry and remains a component of project development in Sudanese contexts that discussion with local stakeholders has demonstrated to be desirable and sought where possible. Such capacity development through three methodologically driven bioarchaeology workshops in conjunction with opportunities for engaging with individuals in Khartoum around bioarchaeological approaches was undertaken in the winter of 2022 as a component of "The People of Ghazali: Tracing the Human Experience in a Nubian Desert Monastic Community (680-1275 CE)" project. This paper explores the dynamics of capacity development and community engagement in the context of bioarchaeological research in Sudan.
Although public engagement has a long tradition in anthropology, the public role of anthropology is still a largely unorganized and informal specialization, not free from controversies due to the entanglement of science in historical processes and the subjective nature of social phenomena. The paper examines some activities of an engagement nature (social interaction, interest in local culture, education, and social criticism) that resulted from the systematic ethnographic research on the occasion of archaeological work in and around Old Dongola. The paper aims to look for connections between ethnographic research and public engagement and their possible outcomes.
Ghaddar is a Sudanese village of about 6000 inhabitants. It is located next to the archaeological site of Old Dongola, which has been excavated by the Polish archaeological expedition since 1964. In February 2019, a quantitative social survey was conducted among the local community as part of the "ArcheoCDN. Archaeological Centre of Scientific Excellence" project. The survey aimed to understand the social environment of the local community and to identify their perceptions and expectations with regard to local heritage, archaeology, and tourism. The results were used as a starting point for designing community outreach programs and ensuring the transfer of necessary knowledge to members of the local community.
