Hello Cornelius!
This is just my personal view, but let me do these
one at a time.
"How are archaeologists actively engaged in promoting pop culture views
of archaeology? Examples please!"
Time Team, Two Men In A Trench, Meet The
Ancestors... These are not shows for archaeologist they are
for the general public. They are promoted by
archaeologists, and my conversations with
non-archaeologists impress me that the public is amazed at
what we can know about the past by looking down in those
holes in the ground. The public does not perceive that the
interpretations offered are not fact. They often think that
the interpretations are quite straightforward and
uncontroversial. Non of the discussions of archaeology are
presented. (This is also a view that I get from teaching,
where I do present some of the differing perspectives to
an amazed group of students.)
"In what way do they depend on them? Specifically please!"
Research funding can be quite competitive, which
promotes the frequent grand claim. When was the last time
an archaeologist wrote a proposal that characterised their
work as "typical but useful in the broader picture"??? The
literature is full of extravagant claims and creatively
imaginative interpretations (publishing makes getting
funding easier). The examples that I am most familiar with
are part of my research, but as soon as I complete my
thesis I would be glad to discuss them.
In the mean time, how about the Piltdown Hoax? Who
promoted the hoax? The experts! Why? Because it fit a
certain pop culture view of what we should find if certain
experts were correct. How many hoaxes are archaeologist
promoting today? Not as flagrant or contrived, but based as
solidly on pop culture views.
"How does our (UK?) government decide on the basis of pop
culture views? Can this be traced or are there good
case-studies of that?"
I am an American studying here in England so I will
use my government as an example. It is my view that Bush's
current foreign policy is more consistent with having
watched too many Harrison Ford movies than with an
intelligent understanding of the situation. Sorry, I guess
that does reflect on your government since Tony is in step
with him.
How about the resent decision on Stonehenge? Yes
the stones are incredible, but isn't the real archaeology
beneath the stones (right where the new big tunnel is going
to destroy it). But then again, this view is completely
based on pop culture information.
Bye for now,
Duane
On Tue, 11 Mar 2003 18:20:47 +0100 Cornelius Holtorf
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear Duane Gehlsen
>
> intriguing points you make. Now I am curious! Could you (or indeed
> anybody else) say a bit more about this?
>
> How are archaeologists actively engaged in promoting pop culture views
> of archaeology? Examples please!
>
> In what way do they depend on them? Specifically please!
>
> How does our (UK?) government decide on the basis of pop culture views?
> Can this be traced or are there good case-studies of that?
>
> Cornelius
>
>
>
>
> Cornelius Holtorf
> Riksantikvarieämbetet, Stockholm
> http://members.chello.se/cornelius
>
> >>> [log in to unmask] 03-03-11 14:38 >>>
> Hello Sarah and All!
> Keep asking those tough questions.
> It seems that there are a few implicit questions
> that I would like to make more explicit.
> 1. Are archaeologist activily enganged in promoting
> pop culture views of archaeology?
> 2. Are archaeological projects dependent on pop
> culture views?
>
> and in a wider context,
>
> 3. Do our governments make critical decisions based on
> pop culture information?
>
> I think the answers to these questions is Yes!
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