Professional associations and international cooperation: the birth of CIfA Deutschland

Abstract

An important type of organisation for archaeologists, as for any discipline, is the professional association. As the leading professional body representing archaeologists working in the UK and overseas, the Chartered Institute of Archaeologists (CIfA) promotes high professional standards and strong ethics in archaeological practice to maximise the benefits that archaeologists bring to society. This paper recounts some of its activities in 2017-18, including work towards defining an internationally recognisable accreditation, Chartered Archaeologist. Of particular interest to an audience drawn from across Europe and beyond is the formation of a German group of CIfA, CIfA Deutschland. This initiative is driven by German archaeologists who identified a need for a professional association, chose to approach CIfA with its more than thirty years of experience for advice and information, and then negotiated with CIfA to establish a formal group in Germany. Its short history and big plans are described.