5.00 credits
30.0 h
Q1
This biannual learning unit is not being organized in 2022-2023 !
Language
French
> English-friendly
> English-friendly
Prerequisites
A sufficient knowledge of English is required, both to read part of the reference bibliography and to take part in the discussion sessions following some of the lectures given in English.
Main themes
The course's primary objective is to provide an overview of archaeological research and projects focused on a period spanning from the First World War to the present day in the Western world. It also aims at illustrating the specificities of the archaeology of the recent past, both in terms of epistemology and theoretical framework, while underlining the methodological reconfigurations linked to it.
The course also seeks to highlight the many social, political, economic and ecological realities that have interested these contemporary archaeologies (e.g., social inequalities, colonialism, racism, armed conflicts, state violence, propaganda, ecosystem disruption, resource depletion, pollution, etc.), realities that they have also illuminated through their examination and approaches - sometimes innovative, sometimes more traditional - of a wide range of material remains.
In so doing, the main purpose of the learning unit is to highlight the relevance of an archaeological reading of contemporary realities the material expression and implications of which are all too rarely acknowledged.
The course also seeks to highlight the many social, political, economic and ecological realities that have interested these contemporary archaeologies (e.g., social inequalities, colonialism, racism, armed conflicts, state violence, propaganda, ecosystem disruption, resource depletion, pollution, etc.), realities that they have also illuminated through their examination and approaches - sometimes innovative, sometimes more traditional - of a wide range of material remains.
In so doing, the main purpose of the learning unit is to highlight the relevance of an archaeological reading of contemporary realities the material expression and implications of which are all too rarely acknowledged.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1. | describe in a reflexive and critical manner the key moments in the development of archaeology of the contemporary period. |
| 2. | explain the stakes of the practice of archaeology applied to the recent past and the main lessons that can be drawn from it, both in relation to current issues and to more transversal themes of interest to archaeology. |
Content
After two introductory sessions, the content of the course will be broken down into major themes that can be illustrated either through a particular project or through a more transversal approach to a body of work. Each of these themes will either be the subject of a lecture or a conference (see Teaching methods). The summary below lists all the key topics but may be subject to amendments, particularly in the order of their treatment.
Contents:
Contents:
- Introduction: contemporary period, super modernity and the Anthropocene (part 1) ;
- Introduction: contemporary period, super modernity and the Anthropocene (part 2) ;
- Archaeology of global conflicts (part 1);
- Archaeology of global conflicts (part 2);
- The Garbage Project: an archaeology of household waste;
- Archaeology and ecology: the case of plastic in the Galapagos;
- The homeless: an archaeology of the disenfranchised;
- Urbex: archaeology or aestheticization of contemporary ruins;
- Wear, decay and obsolescence: a new look at the material world;
- Archaeology and environmental disasters;
- The new nomadic age: archaeologies of forced and undocumented migrations;
- After the party: archaeologies of musical festivals;
- Archaeology of contemporary media;
- Archaeology and pandemic: the case of COVID-19;
- Contemporary archaeology: lessons and future developments.
Teaching methods
The core of the course is made up of lecture sessions addressing the main themes (see Contents). However, some of these sessions are punctuated by interventions of invited speakers leading to more interactive discussions. A field trip is also organized during the four-month term in order to confront students with the specificities of contemporary archaeology with regard to a specific theme.
Evaluation methods
The validation of the teaching unit is the result of both a continuous evaluation of the active participation in the discussion sessions and the field trip (40%) and an oral examination in session (60%) on the major themes presented during the lectures and by the guest speakers.
Online resources
All the teaching material related to the course will be made available to students on Moodle.
See also
See also
- Journal of Contemporary Archaeology: https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JCA/index
- Archaeologists Digging Into the Here and Now: https://undark.org/2016/09/26/archaeologists-digging-into-the-here-and-now/
Bibliography
- Buchli, V. and G. Lucas (eds) 2001. Archaeologies of the Contemporary Past. London, Routledge
- González-Ruibal, A. 2020. An Archaeology of the Contemporary Era. London, Routledge
- Graves-Brown, P., R. Harrison and A. Piccini (eds). 2013. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Contemporary World. Oxford, Oxford University Press
- Harrison, R. and J. Schofield (eds), 2010. After Modernity: Archaeological Approaches to the Contemporary Past. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
- Holtorf, C and Piccini, A. (eds) 2011. Contemporary Archaeologies: Excavating Now. 2nd edition. Peter Lang GmbH
- Rathje, W. L. and C. Murphy 2001. Rubbish! The Archaeology of Garbage. Tucson, The University of Arizona Press.
Faculty or entity
EHAC
