WAC is a unique organization. While most archaeological associations are exclusively concerned with disciplinary matters, WAC aims to discuss the wider arena in which archaeology operates. Since its very beginnings politics has figured prominently in its agenda, fighting to overcome the positivist separation between knowledge and power. Its commitment to social justice has also been fundamental, especially helping to empower traditionally dispossessed voices in the historical realm and siding with their struggle for a better world. A recent paper by Shepherd and Haber (Public Archaeology 10:96-115, 2011) has brought to attention internal dissensions within WAC and has positioned pressing concerns that may define the future of the organization: engagement with transnational corporations, reproduction of the neocolonial order, regimes of othering, insufficient communication between elected officials/representatives and the members at large. The paper by Shepherd and Haber is another step in important and heated discussions that took place during WAC-6 (Dublin, 2008) around those and other topics and signals the need to engage critically what WAC has achieved and what its constituency would like it to be from now on.

The organization’s own journal, Archaeologies, is a good venue (albeit not the only one) to host open, uncensored and frank discussions. We plan to devote the April, 2012 issue of Archaeologies to discuss future directions for WAC. In order to ensure a wide participation and scope of opinions we have limited the extension of papers to 4,000 words, references included. The deadline for submission is February 10th, 2012; papers arriving after that date will not be considered for the April issue. This does not mean, however, that the discussion we propose is to stop there; we can carry it across several issues, even devoting a special section for that effect for as long as debate lasts. Papers can be written in any language, although to ensure a wide communication we encourage people to write them in English. Papers are to be uploaded into the journal’s Editorial Manager system (http://www.editorialmanager.com/ares/).