Cornelius Holtorf

Using wide-ranging examples and compelling images to support his often controversial theses, including the assertion that the past is a "renewable resource," Cornelius Holtorf merges archaeological and cultural theory to take readers on an erudite tour of these intersections. Deliberately blurring the borders between past people and present meanings, this ambitious project seeks no less than the redefinition of the term "archaeology." Equal parts amusing, infuriating, provocative and thought-provoking, this work will interest students and teachers in archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies and human geography, as well as professionals in heritage management and museums.

Archaeology as Popular Culture

From Stonehenge to Las Vegas

Indiana Jones. Lara Croft. Archaeologist as folk hero, detective, treasure hunter. The meaning of things below the surface. The life history of Stonehenge. Las Vegas' Luxor Hotel. Copies of artifacts as contemporary kitch. The connections between archaeology and contemporary culture are endless. Cornelius Holtorf merges archaeological and cultural theory to take readers on an erudite tour of these intersections, using wide-ranging examples and compelling images to support his often controversial theses. Deliberately blurring the borders between past people and present meanings, this ambitious project seeks no less than the redefinition of the term 'archaeology.' Equal parts amusing, infuriating, and provocative, this work will interest students and teachers in archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies and human geography, as well as professionals in heritage management and museums.

Bodil Petersson

This volume explores the relevance of time travel as a characteristic contemporary way to approach the past. If reality is defined as the sum of human experiences and social practices, all reality is partly virtual, and all experienced and practiced time travel is real. In that sense, time travel experiences are not necessarily purely imaginary. Time travel experiences and associated social practices have become ubiquitous and popular, increasingly replacing more knowledge-orientated and critical approaches to the past. Papers discuss the implications and problems associated with the ubiquity and popularity of time travelling and whether time travel is inherently conservative because of its escapist tendencies, or whether it might instead be considered as a fulfilment of the contemporary Experience or Dream Society. Whatever position one may take, time travel is a legitimate and timely object of study and critique because it represents a particularly significant way to bring the past back to life in the present.

Experiencing the Past in the 21st Century

The Archaeology of Time Travel

Anders Hogberg

Cultural Heritage and the Future

Håkan Karlsson

Archäologiephilosophie - theoretische Archäologie - praktische Archäologie - Wissenschaftsphilosophie - Urgeschichte.

Perspectives for the 21st Century

Philosophy and Archaeological Practice

What impact is there on the field to recognize that archaeology is a regular feature in daily life and popular culture? Based upon the study of England, Germany, Sweden and the USA, Cornelius Holtorf examines the commonalities and peculiarities of media portrayal of archaeology in these countries, and the differences between media presentations and audience knowledge and attraction to the subject, In his normal engaging, populist style, Holtorf discusses the main strategies available to archaeologists in engaging with their popular representations. Possessors of a widely recognized, positively valued and well underpinned brand, archaeologists need to take more seriously the appeal of their work.

The Meaning of Archaeology in Contemporary Popular Culture

Archaeology Is a Brand!

Anders Högberg

Cultural Heritage and the Future brings together an international group of scholars and experts to consider the relationship between cultural heritage and the future. Drawing on case studies from around the world, the contributing authors insist that cultural heritage and the future are intimately linked and that the development of futures thinking should be a priority for academics, students and those working in the wider professional heritage sector. Until recently, the future has never attracted substantial research and debate within heritage studies and heritage management, and this book addresses this gap by offering a balance of theoretical and empirical content that will stimulate multidisciplinary debate in the burgeoning field of critical heritage studies. Cultural Heritage and the Future questions the role of heritage in future making and will be of great relevance to academics and students working in the fields of museum and heritage studies, archaeology, anthropology, architecture, conservation studies, sociology, history and geography. Those working in the heritage professions will also find much to interest them within the pages of this book.

Geoffrey Scarre

Andreas Pantazatos

Cultural Heritage, Ethics and Contemporary Migrations breaks new ground in our understanding of the challenges faced by heritage practitioners and researchers in the contemporary world of mass migration, where people encounter new cultural heritage and relocate their own. It focuses particularly on issues affecting archaeological heritage sites and artefacts, which help determine and maintain social identity, a role problematised when populations are in flux. This diverse and authoritative collection brings together international specialists to discuss socio-political and ethical implications for the management of archaeological heritage in global society. With contributions by authors from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including archaeologists, philosophers, cultural historians and custodians of cultural heritage, the volume explores a rich mix of contrasting, yet complementary, viewpoints and approaches. Among the topics discussed are the relations between culture and identity; the potentialities of museums and monuments to support or subvert a people’s sense of who they are; and how cultural heritage has been used to bring together communities containing people of different origins and traditions, yet without erasing or blurring their distinctive cultural features. Cultural Heritage, Ethics and Contemporary Migrations is a crucial text for archaeologists, curators, policymakers and others working in the heritage field, as well as for philosophers, political scientists and other readers interested in the links between immigration and cultural heritage.

Cornelius Holtorf

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