Returning to some of the themes addressed in Chapter 3, this final chapter considers the wider social responsibilities of archaeologists working in southern Africa in the twenty-first century. Matters discussed include gender and racial equity within the discipline itself (especially with respect to South Africa), how best to relate the work done by archaeologists to the wider public, heritage management and conflicts over this (including the restitution of cultural sites, property, and human remains), the roles of contract archaeology, university teaching departments, and museums, the importance of publication, and the potential for developing post-colonial approaches to the interpretation of archaeological evidence. In highlighting possible future research trends, the chapter concludes by emphasising the need for work that is both intellectually sound and socially engaged and by reiterating the global significance of southern Africa’s immensely long and varied archaeological record.

The issue of reburial versus keeping places is important, as keeping places allow for the possibility of future access to remains. These issues are explored in this chapter. Many communities are now moving away from the view that they want to put remains beyond the reach of science and are beginning to understand how human remains can help both their own communities and the wider world. It also shows how the academic community has changed its views in general and is more able to understand the view of indigenous peoples when they want control of the remains.