After much work by the American Antiquity (AAQ) Editorial Advisory Board, a revised description and vision of American Antiquity has been drafted for the website home page. It states “American Antiquity (AAQ) is a peer-reviewed, quarterly journal, and it is considered the premier journal of North American archaeology. AAQ is devoted to archaeology regionally conducted in the Western Hemisphere (North America) inclusive of diverse archaeological methods and theory pertinent to the study of North American archaeology as well as related subjects with global impact. AAQ invites all archaeologists to consider submissions on ‘big ideas,’ innovative methodologies, social theory, topical reviews, current hot issues (forum pieces), and studies outside of North America that have broad and/or global significance.”

The advisory board also worked on a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement. We have renamed this our statement on Inclusive Excellence, which is simply a framework that encourages interweaving the various foci together with specific intentions. Using this umbrella term, Inclusive Excellence brings together diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. These coordinated and collaborative efforts move ideas about diversity, equity, and inclusion from the margins as a call for change to an interactive and dynamic arena that encourages results that can be seen, felt, and quantified. Below is the slightly revised statement.

“American Antiquity aims to publish high-quality, rigorous research by a broad range of authors working in or on topics related to North America …”

The editorial advisory board for American Antiquity worked on this statement to use as a guide for a vision and future of the journal. In brief, this statement encompasses a set of practices that are intended to ensure that individuals from broad and diverse backgrounds are represented in the journal. As well, it is a statement that promises to encourage and support archaeologists who might not normally see American Antiquity as their journal of choice. In full, the statement reads:

“American Antiquity aims to publish high-quality, rigorous research by a broad range of authors working in or on topics related to North America. Within the pages of American Antiquity, there are disparities in the representation of BIPOC and early career scholars and scholars representing different genders and nationalities. In soliciting and publishing academic works, the journal is committed to addressing these disparities by inviting, welcoming, and amplifying voices that have been traditionally marginalized, excluded, or discounted in the field. Therefore, we encourage submissions from those who are underrepresented due to race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristics within the academy, cultural resource management, or state and federal agencies.

In our efforts to create systemic and meaningful change within the discipline of archaeology, American Antiquity welcomes papers on racism and other forms of inequality in the past and present or that seek to transform the practice of archaeology, including through collaborative and engaged research with and by descendant or committed communities. The board also encourages submissions that engage with critical theories, including but not limited to anti-colonialism, decolonizing, Indigenizing, and feminist perspectives. American Antiquity also seeks to broaden and diversify its publications by encouraging authors to submit coauthored manuscripts and to adopt more inclusive citational practices and language. Inclusive language is unbiased and respectful of all peoples, and the expectation is that authors will avoid sexist pronouns and eschew derogatory terms and stereotypes. 

Finally, American Antiquity is committed to incorporating Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity principles into the structure of the journal by recruiting peer reviewers from a broader range of fields and perspectives and by maintaining a diverse editorial board.”

Following these suggestions and guidelines, AAQ readers paying attention will have seen an increase in the number of early career archaeologists, archaeologists who work on historic sites, and archaeologists who work with paradigms and theories outside the established frameworks. At AAQ, the editorial board and I can only work with submissions. We encourage, invite, cajole, coax, urge, beg, and even badger archaeologists to submit their work to the journal. In the end, we work with about 80 to 100 or so submissions a year, accepting 45% to 60% of those, which then get distributed across four issues annually. Even for the manuscripts that do not get accepted, the authors are often provided a great deal of useful and productive feedback so that they might consider new ways of reconceptualizing and rethinking their study.

It is difficult to capture the je ne sais quoi of a long-standing journal that represents archaeologists encompassing different interests, backgrounds, training, and places of employment. The journal seeks to represent as many of these differentials as possible by nudging AAQ into new places, both theoretically and actually. 

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