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Maritime Archaeology with Compassionate Community Connection
Edited by Jennifer Craig and Jay Mok
340 pages, 38 figs, 8 tables, bibliog., index
ISBN 978-1-83695-589-4 $135.00/£104.00 / Hb / Published (August 2026)
eISBN 978-1-83695-597-9 eBook
Reviews
“The book is a worthy collection of real-world applications or implementation of theory.” • Kong F. Cheong, American University
“The strength of this volume is the bringing together of diverse voices from the Asia-Pacific region with a focus on underwater cultural heritage…(it) is a novel and valuable outcome.” • Ross Anderson, Western Australian Museum
Description
Contemporary public discourses about archaeology are routinely characterized by scientific and historical narratives that leave the water blank. This book weaves together voices from across the Asia-Pacific region, revealing maritime archaeology as a labour of love rooted in connection, compassion and community. Contributors from Hawaii to Sri Lanka share how emotion and relationality shape their work with submerged heritage. The collaboration of archaeologists and communities collaborating to preserve maritime cultural heritage is demonstrated throughout, recognizing that wholeness emerges not from uniformity but from the symphony of the distinct voices united by a shared passion for the ocean’s stories.
Jennifer Craig certified in SCUBA diving at sixteen years old and has 5,000 dives across the world’s waters. She completed her Masters in Maritime Archaeology and History at the University of Bristol in 2004 with her first Maritime Grant from the Nova Scotia Museum of the Atlantic. Her projects have always sought collaboration across languages and resources. She started her DPhil at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology and completed her PhD with McGill University’s Major Collaborative Research Initiative of the Indian Ocean World Centre. Jennifer served as co-chair and publications lead of the Inaugural UNESCO patronage APConf (2011), has remained on the Executive Board and recently served as Publications Lead Coordinator (2023). She is in community as a mother and professional.
Jay Mok is the first woman from Hong Kong to receive formal training in maritime, cognitive and digital archaeology. Her field experience spans high-altitude, inland and maritime environments, focusing on cultural heritage and human connections to landscapes and waterscapes. She worked at the University of Hong Kong as project manager and lecturer, co-organising expeditions to the First Bend of the Yellow River, Jiuzhaigou Lakes and Kekexili, and co-leading projects in Xinjiang, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan. Her work is recognised with a Commendation from the Secretary of the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, and an Advance HE Fellowship. She is now a member of the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology, Editor-in-Chief of a diamond open-access journal hosted at the Bodleian Libraries, and a member of the Publication Committee for APConf 5 and 6.
Subject: ArchaeologyHeritage Studies
Area: Asia-Pacific
Contents
Of Related Interest
The Long Shore
Archaeologies and Social Histories of Californias Maritime Cultural Landscapes
