Challenging Exoticization: Maritime Archaeology Logistics in West Africa and East Canada

Maritime archaeology often leads researchers to far-flung locations. Africa is often acknowledged in Western academic spheres as a challenging archaeological fieldwork destination due to logistical issues like minimal internet resources, language barriers, and unfamiliar legal and physical landscapes. However, these traits are by no means exclusive to the African continent, and perceived difficulty is not a reason to ignore the vast potential of maritime archaeology in Africa. This article explores archaeological practice in two seemingly different regions: Greenville, Sinoe County, southeastern Liberia, and Gaspé Bay, Québec, eastern Canada. A focused look shows how these two areas are actually not so different. Work in these regions has responded to and worked within environmental and climate constraints, engaged communities of diverse stakeholders, battled internet and data access, adjusted to site destruction and topographical change, and worked within funding constraints to pursue new and exciting avenues of study that otherwise would not happen. Ultimately, the conditions of a maritime city or town in which research is based are far less reflective of a country’s wealth and resources than they are of local resources and practice, even in today’s globalized world. The comparison of these two projects brings to light the issue that most maritime archaeologists face: logistically, maritime archaeology can be challenging regardless of a country’s status on somewhat problematic global development indices. Thus, the long-cited issue of “logistics” for dismissing attempts to study African maritime archaeology is unfounded. By emphasizing the commonalities in the constraints and opportunities of our archaeological efforts, we seek to underline the universality of these challenges and our responses to them.