After Modernity: Archaeological Approaches to the Contemporary Past

by Rodney Harrison, John Schofield

Overview

Rodney Harrison and John Schofield explore how archaeology can inform the study of our own society and other late-modern societies through detailed case studies and a summary of the existing literature. They draw together cross-disciplinary perspectives, and develop a new agenda for the study of the materiality of contemporary societies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199548071
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/10/2010
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Rodney Harrison is Lecturer in Heritage Studies at The Open University.

John Schofield is a Member of English Heritage's Characterization Team.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
Part One: Surveying the Field: The Development of an Archaeology of the Recent and Contemporary Past
2. A Disciplinary (Pre)History
3. Field Methods
4. Working Across Disciplines
5. Theory and Politics
Part Two: Archaeological Approaches to Late Modern Societies
6. Artefacts
7. Sites
8. Landscapes
9. Non-Places and Virtual Worlds
10. Conclusions

Editorial Reviews

"This is one of those rare books poised from the outset to become a classics. In many ways it is what archaeology is at its best: a creative and scholarly exploration of everyday life. Yet, After Modernity also offers fascinating explorations of the possibilities of the past in the present, and the contributions archaeologies can make to a range of contemporary social issues." —Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

"By bringing archaeology right up to date Harrison and Schofield provide an eloquent argument that the transformation of things and landscapes haunts the contemporary imagination. Their book is a must-read for the many disciplines interested in understanding the turbulent century we have recently shed. The presumption that history died in 1989 is here matched by the birth of a new understanding of the past; one that is altogether more interesting because it is tangible and entrancing."—Clive Gamble, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London

"Archaeology has always been a versatile discipline, and After Modernity shows versatility to the full, using archaeological theory and technique to reflect on the materiality of our contemporary world. This is the first major study to assemble along the vectors of common themes those archaeologies that explore the world of our own lifetimes. In doing this, After Modernity prompts reflection on the power of the material world today."—Martin Hall, University of Salford

"This is the first textbook that encompasses all the recent work on the archaeology of ourselves. In doing so it transforms archaeology into a discipline that can both contribute to a wide range of contemporary social issues and provide new insights for anthropology, sociology, heritage and cultural geography."—Ian Hodder, Stanford Archaeology Center

From the Publisher