[with apologies for cross-postings]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE MODERN WORLD
Archaeologists are generally perceived as excavating the dusty remains of a
distant, exotic, lost past - in prehistory, Egypt or the Classical world.
But over the past decade, a sea change in the limits of British archaeology
has taken place, and archaeological remains dating from after AD 1500 are
now increasingly recognised as significant.
This weekend, a major international conference at Bristol University will
bring together scholars from Britain, Ireland, North America, Europe and
Australasia who specialise in the archaeology of the later historical and
very recent past.
The conference, Contemporary and Historical Archaeology in Theory
(CHAT),will explore subjects ranging from colonial plantations in the 18th
century Caribbean and 19th century Zanzibar to life on an Australian chain
gang and the relics of the ‘heroic era’ of Antarctic exploration.
CHAT will take place at the University’s Archaeology Department from Friday
21 November to Sunday 23 November 2003.
Dr Mark Horton, Head of Archaeology at Bristol University, said: “It is
remarkable that the archaeological study of the modern world has been
neglected by academics for so long. Whether industrialisation and colonial
expansion, or the archaeology of the First World War or everyday life in
the very recent past, archaeologists have unique access to the remains of
unwritten histories."
Dr Angela Piccini, co-organiser of CHAT 2003, said: “One of the most
interesting implications of this broadening of archaeological horizons is
the question: Where does archaeology end? Increasingly as archaeologists,
we are exploring the contributions we can make to the study of the very
recent, and even 'contemporary' past.”
Dr Dan Hicks, co-organiser of CHAT 2003, said: “These are exciting times
for historical archaeology in Britain. Archaeologists are starting to make
valuable and cross-disciplinary contributions to our understanding of the
past 500 years. We hope that CHAT 2003 will demonstrate how, across a wide
range of subjects, historical archaeology exposes the texture, detail and
complexity of apparently familiar pasts."
NOTES
CHAT 2003 is the first meeting of a new Conference Group - Contemporary and
Historical Archaeology in Theory - which was established in February 2003
as a response to radical and interdisciplinary shifts in the limits of
archaeology.
CHAT 2003 is convened by Dr Dan Hicks and Dr Angela Piccini (Bristol
University Archaeology Department).
Bristol University is a leading centre for research and teaching in
historical archaeology, running two MA programmes in Historical Archaeology
of the Modern World (AD1500-2000), and in Archaeology for Screen Media.
Department home page: http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Archaeology/
CHAT 2003 homepage: http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Archaeology/events/chat.html
Media contact: http://www.bris.ac.uk/media/
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