Humanity faces many complex challenges, and societies across the globe are bombarded regularly with problems that seem overwhelming and insoluble. With social injustice, environmental degradation, climate change, and economic disparity increasing, a new form of fatigue has developed. This sense of hopelessness, when dealing with intractable problems, hinders societal change as it becomes more difficult to envision a path toward a less dystopian future. This situation can feel particularly acute for anthropologists and historians who view the tableau of the human condition across broad temporal scales of time—bearing witness to humanity’s greatest triumphs and failures.

In this context, John Schofield’s Wicked Problems for Archaeologists: Heritage as Transformative Practice is a timely addition to the literature on how archaeologists might help solve wicked problems such as climate change, social injustice, conflict, environmental pollution, and human health. The core strengths of the book lie with introducing the concept of “wicked problems” to a new generation of archaeologists and underscoring how anthropology as a practice can strengthen problem solving in today’s complex world.

The book is divided into eight parts beginning with an introduction, followed by chapters representing thematic classes of wicked problems such as social injustice; each chapter contains case studies related to the theme proposed. The chapter on entanglement would have benefited the reader if placed much earlier in the book as a theoretical framework that underlies all the themes outlined in the book

Chapter 1 introduces the concept of wicked problems as “a class of system problems which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where there are many clients and decision makers with conflicting values, and where the ramifications for the whole system are thoroughly confusing” (p. 16). It then discusses the myriad ways in which these “wicked, super wicked, and tame problems” have been characterized and problematized. As organized, this literature review was a bit of a wicked problem to untangle, but it would be useful introductory reading for early-career archaeologists. This chapter concludes with heuristic devices used throughout the book to link archaeology and anthropology to solution-based practices—namely, the “Small Wins” framework and the role of archaeologists as “policy entrepreneurs” (pp. 40–41).

One of the more compelling dimensions of Wicked Problems for Archaeologists lies in the diversity of its case studies, many of which are drawn less from traditional archaeological practice and more from sociocultural anthropology. These examples—often rooted in community engagement, contemporary heritage conflicts, or policy-relevant interventions—demonstrate the potential for archaeological thinking to operate beyond excavation or material analysis. They show archaeology functioning as a mediating practice: translating between communities, institutions, and policy domains in ways that foreground historical depth and cultural context.

Conversely, the case studies reveal a tension that runs throughout the volume: the extent to which archaeology is distinct from or dependent on other anthropological subfields in addressing wicked problems. Several of the strongest examples rely heavily on ethnographic engagement, participatory methods, and social theory that are more commonly associated with cultural anthropology or human geography. More explicit discussion of how archaeological methods, data, or interpretive frameworks specifically add value—rather than archaeology serving primarily as a disciplinary label—would have strengthened case studies and clarified the book’s contributions to debates about applied and engaged archaeology.

The concluding chapter on transformation attempts to frame archaeology as a vehicle for change at multiple scales—individual, disciplinary, and societal. It reinforces the idea that archaeology’s value lies not only in documenting the past but also in shaping futures through engagement, advocacy, and ethical responsibility. However, this section remains underdeveloped in terms of operationalizing transformation. Although readers are encouraged to think differently about their role as an archaeologist, there is limited guidance on how to do so in practice—particularly within institutional, political, or funding structures that constrain action. The call for archaeologists to act as policy entrepreneurs is persuasive in principle but thinly specified in terms of skills, pathways, or risks, resulting in more an aspirational statement than a roadmap.

I recommend this book to archaeologists teaching undergraduate- or graduate-level classes on methods or policy. Its incorporation of discussion, essay, and exam questions at the end is helpful for enhancing syllabus development. The case studies provide rich, complex issues for archaeologists and cultural resource managers to consider. However, if you are hoping to become a “policy entrepreneur” from the time invested in reading this book, you may be left unrequited.