Archaeology International has been going strong for 21 years, showcasing the range and distinctiveness of the Institute’s activities and research across UCL Institute of Archaeology’s sections: World Archaeology, Archaeological Science and Heritage. Research and news from all three sections feature in this issue.
There was considerable disruption to the 2017–18 academic year on account of the UCU pensions strikes. This afforded new opportunities for alternative modes of teaching and engagement with students, including a ‘strikes and revolutions teach out’ on a cold March morning on the Institute of Archaeology’s front steps. Synopses of the talks given that day are presented in our new ‘viewpoint’ section. Another example of a ‘teach out’ was on International Women’s Day, on 8 March 2018, which coincided with a strike action day. To mark the occasion the ‘teach-out’ was held in Gordon Square Park where staff and students reflected upon the history of, and continuing issues faced, by women in archaeology. A notable mention that day was Kathleen Kenyon, the first woman to lead a major branch of a British higher education institution, and it fully appropriate that an examination of her time in this role at the Institute of Archaeology features in a dedicated research article in this volume.
I am enormously grateful to all of the Institute staff, students and associates who have contributed to this issue. In particular, I want to thank Jennifer French for collating the news section, bookshelf, global map and obituaries, and to Barney Harris for copy editing. These are time-consuming tasks and I am greatly obliged for both their hard work on these aspects of this issue and for their invaluable support. I would additionally like to thank Anastasia Sakellariadi at Ubiquity Press for guiding us through the process of production and to Charlotte Frearson for promoting Archaeology International regularly on Twitter.