Assessing University-Community Reciprocity through the Heritage West Project: An Excavation of West Philadelphia’s Former Black Bottom
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Educational practitioners have voiced extensive criticism on the lack of reciprocity in university-community engagement. This paper assesses the reciprocity between the University of Pennsylvania’s Heritage West Project and the West Philadelphia community. Penn Anthropological archaeologists excavated artifacts from the former Black Bottom neighborhood, demolished in the late 1960s as part of urban renewal. The paper will measure the project’s university-community reciprocity through the evolution of its research question, its excavation, lab sessions, and its participant responses. It will review the project’s corresponding educational opportunities and probative discussions while suggesting how a more deliberate approach to community engagement will garner greater participation. Keywords: reciprocity, democratic engagement, oral histories, displacement, urban renewal, and community archeology
Source: Journal of Student Research
Author: Nicole Contosta
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: University of Pennsylvania
OpenAlex ID: W4413513519