Roșia Montană. When heritage meets social activism, politics and community identity

Abstract

“Archaeology for Whom?” A situation where this question gains
particular importance is the case of rescue archaeology projects,
especially those facing big economic projects. It is the purpose of
this article to propose a reflective attitude towards our practice.
Thus, I will focus on the case of the site of Roșia Montană (Romania).
Here, the contentious topic of a proposed cyanide gold mining
exploitation brought forward a series of relevant questions: what is
heritage, for whom it is meaningful (and in what way), and what is
the relationship between heritage and sustainable development of
a contemporary community.