Poor old J641 VUJ gets it in the neck again...
I rather think I might sign up for the facebook group though!
Cassie

Dept. of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Bristol
43 Woodland Road
Bristol, BS8 1UU
tel: 0782 880 8183

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From: John Mabbitt <[log in to unmask]>

To: [log in to unmask]

Sent: Thu, 7 October, 2010 21:02:02

Subject: Re: re. is contemporary archaeology crap?

coincidentally enough, the following thread appeared on the BAJR forum today.

http://www.bajrfed.co.uk/showthread.php?3639-Sensible-Archaeology

It's not specifically an attack on contemporary archaeology, but the contemporary material past (or at least high profile examples) appear somewhere in the scatter...

John
________________________________________
From: Discussion List for Contemporary and Historical Archaeology [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Laura McAtackney [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 06 October 2010 17:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: re. is contemporary archaeology crap?

To add my own little anecdote ... I published an article on conducting archaeology at Long Kesh/Maze prison in British Archaeology in the summer of 2005. I can't remember the exact wording but the next edition of BA contained a letter asking, in rather scathing tones, why I bothered examining the prison site as the 'real' archaeology would be found in the below ground context. I was given a right to reply but didn't see the point: if you don't want to get it, you won't get it!

> Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 14:43:55 +0100
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [CHA] re. is contemporary archaeology crap?
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> I used to get a lot of "why dig, we know it all anyway" from military
> historians in regard of Great War conflict archaeology. There was a
> Chairman's piece to that effect in an edition of either the Bulletin of
> the Western Front Association or "Stand To" the WFA journal.
>
> In addition, I did cite a retired Admiral telling me that there was no
> point in digging at Thiepval (Somme Front Line) because it would be
> "pulverised" in my contribution to Lila Racozcy's volume on The
> Archaeology of Destruction.
>
> The letter in BA about the van and the community archaeology with down &
> outs appeared in the current edition (114). The letter basically
> suggested a link between some of these more avant garde projects and the
> threat to the Bristol Department. For the Academics amongst you, the
> letter and the two articles would make an excellent starter for a
> seminar or essay question!
>
> Interestingly it's the same article that carries my article about a
> Great War project and our identification of a missing soldier killed in
> 1917. Clearly there's no point to contemporary archaeology - Private
> Mather's family agree... Or maybe not!
>
> Best
>
> Martin
>
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-------------------------- contemp-hist-arch is a list for news and events in contemporary and historical archaeology, and for announcements relating to the CHAT conference group. ------- For email subscription options see: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/archives/contemp-hist-arch.html ------- Visit the CHAT website for more information and for future meeting dates: http://www.contemp-hist-arch.ac.uk --------------------------

--------------------------
contemp-hist-arch is a list for news and events
in contemporary and historical archaeology, and
for announcements relating to the CHAT conference group.
-------
For email subscription options see:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/archives/contemp-hist-arch.html
-------
Visit the CHAT website for more information and for future meeting dates:
http://www.contemp-hist-arch.ac.uk
--------------------------

-------------------------- contemp-hist-arch is a list for news and events in contemporary and historical archaeology, and for announcements relating to the CHAT conference group. ------- For email subscription options see: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/archives/contemp-hist-arch.html ------- Visit the CHAT website for more information and for future meeting dates: http://www.contemp-hist-arch.ac.uk --------------------------