Our Vision
‘Scotland’s past is for everyone to research, share, enjoy and protect, home and abroad.’
Our Mission statement
‘The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is a heritage charity with global membership providing expertise, support and resources to enhance and promote the understanding and enjoyment of Scotland’s past. It empowers and facilitates research and innovation, advocating as an independent voice for heritage, and sharing knowledge of the past with everyone.’
Our Values
These are central to everything we do as a charity.
Collaboration
We collaborate with other organisations, individuals and groups for the betterment of Scottish heritage wherever it is found. Working together in the spirit of collegiality and Fellowship as a learned society, we will ensure our independent voice for Scotland’s past and act as a focal point for its diverse strands.
Opportunity
We affirm that everyone should be able to access, participate in and enjoy Scotland’s past, ensuring equality of opportunity in the work that we do. We are committed to public engagement through coordinating innovative projects and making our resources and events free to access wherever possible.
Transparency
We support transparency in all decision-making relating to Scotland’s heritage ensuring that everyone has the chance to engage and get involved.
Research Excellence
We support high quality study of Scotland’s past through our own publications, developing research frameworks, and promoting excellence through grants and awards. We will strive to improve standards and knowledge of all aspects of Scotland’s past, even those that might be considered contentious or uncomfortable.
Equality
We are proud to be an actively anti-racist, pro-equality and pro-diversity heritage charity in Scotland. We believe that no one holds a monopoly on Scotland’s history and that it should be shared by and for everyone; the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is committed to working towards equality and accessibility in the Scottish heritage sector and beyond. The Society will ensure that:
- All members of our community and stakeholders are treated with fairness, dignity and respect.
- We uphold and value protected characteristics and will not discriminate on grounds of, including but not limited to, age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or gender reassignment.
- We will challenge inequalities and remove barriers to equality and diversity in heritage activities.
Implementing our Values
We will act to deliver our values in everything we do, for example:
Collaboration – working with Historic Environment Scotland to deliver ScARF, and the multitudes of volunteers and professionals that help create these research frameworks. Working with our funders and stakeholders in Dig It! to help promote Scotland’s archaeology, and helping deliver collaborative projects such as the Scottish Heritage Social Media Group. Working with scholars, independent researchers and commercial practitioners to deliver quality publications on Scotland’s past and related fields. Working with Archaeology Scotland to deliver the national Archaeological Research in Progress annual day conference. Collaborating in advocacy to ensure a strong voice for heritage.
Opportunity – making our publications open access wherever possible, including the Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports (SAIR), books and our annual national journal of archaeology and history, the Proceedings of the society of Antiquaries of Scotland. We will continue to make heritage information freely available through our Dig It! and ScARF projects. Our lectures will continue to be recorded and presented over the internet free to access wherever possible to ensure the widest possible audience for quality information on Scotland’s past and related activity. We have strengthened our commitment to diversity by offering a range of Fellowship rates and ensuring gender diversity among our Board of Trustees. We will ensure that Society staff and Trustee positions are accessible to all with the right skills.
Transparency – we advocate for transparency in decision making that affects Scotland’s heritage, and will make our own records available and encourage participation by Fellows and other stakeholders in decisions on the Society’s future.
Research Excellence – providing grants available to all to enable research into Scotland’s past, and expecting the highest standards of work and full and open dissemination of results. Providing awards for excellence and delivering research frameworks to underpin studies into Scotland’s past. Disseminating high quality knowledge through our publications and online, making this information free to access across the globe whenever possible. We are working with others to help develop the rights skills and expertise and to engender a research ethos in all work into Scotland’s past.
Equality – we have a policy to ensure a gender balanced Board of Trustees and aim to increase their diversity. Our events will promote equality and inclusion and offer a platform to those who are often under-represented in Scottish heritage. Similarly, we will support research projects into minority Scottish history, even where this might be considered contentious or uncomfortable, and understand and acknowledge the Society’s place within the history of racism in Scotland and collaborate with others working in these fields. We will encourage articles from a more diverse range of scholars, independent researchers and commercial practitioners and will take steps to encourage Fellowship applications from more diverse backgrounds. We are working with Strathclyde University on a project to understand the lived experience of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in museums and archaeology.