Time to Destroy: An Archaeology of Supermodernity

The archaeology of the contemporary past is becoming an important subfield within the discipline and one attractive not only to archaeologists but to social scientists and artists. The period that started with World War I, here identified as “supermodernity,” has been characterized by increasing dev...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current anthropology 2008-04, Vol.49 (2), p.247-279
Main Authors: González-Ruibal, Alfredo, Edensor, Tim, Funari, Pedro Paulo A, Hall, Martin, Holtorf, Cornelius, Leone, Mark P, Meskell, Lynn, Oliver, Laurent, Saunders, N J, Schofield, John, Zarankin, Andrés
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeological paradigms
Archaeological sites
Archaeology
Civil wars
Contemporary history
Criticism
Forensic archaeology
Globalization
Historical analysis
Historical archaeology
Historiography
Mass graves
Material culture
Modernism
Modernity
Narratives
Power
Regression analysis
Social conditions & trends
Social theory
World War I
World wars
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Summary:The archaeology of the contemporary past is becoming an important subfield within the discipline and one attractive not only to archaeologists but to social scientists and artists. The period that started with World War I, here identified as “supermodernity,” has been characterized by increasing devastation of both humans and things and the proliferation of archaeological sites, such as battlefields, industrial ruins, mass graves, and concentration camps. The mission of a critical archaeology of this period is not only telling alternative stories but also unveiling what the supermodern power machine does not want to be shown. For this we need to develop a new kind of archaeological rhetoric, pay closer attention to the materiality of the world in which we live, and embrace political commitment without sacrificing objectivity.
ISSN:0011-3204
1537-5382
DOI:10.1086/526099