Specialism: After Modernity: Archaeologies of the Contemporary World - ARC00089H
Module summary
This module will examine how archaeology can shed new light on the contemporary world, a ‘familiar world’, or so we are led to believe. Using a diversity of examples from around the globe, we will investigate what it means to be a contemporary archaeologist, the types of evidence we use, and the methods we deploy to obtain it. We will investigate how contemporary archaeology compares to the archaeology of earlier periods, and whether it is even worthwhile, given how much we can learn from other available sources. We will also reflect upon our own lived experiences, and how far these shape our practice.
Related modules
A directed option - students must pick an Assessed Seminar module and have a choice of which to take
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2026-27 |
Module aims
3rd year specialism modules focus upon the archaeology of a well defined time, space or theme and the modules seek to allow students, in small groups, to focus upon primary source material and to apply to it the theoretical and thematic perspectives learned over your first and second years. The aim is to facilitate the acquisition of deeper knowledge of one aspect of the past than has been possible in more general courses.
Specifically this module aims:
- To examine the scholarly approaches to and range of evidence available for studying the archaeology of the contemporary world.
- To evaluate and critique the challenges of investigating a period for which we have lived experience and familiarity.
- To develop research, analytical and communication skills.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- demonstrate a broad and comparative knowledge of archaeologies of the contemporary world.
- critically discuss and assess the key theories, methods and debates, and their limitations
- critically evaluate primary data and evidence
- communicate an in-depth, logical and structured argument, supported by archaeological evidence
Module content
The module will begin by defining what is meant by archaeologies of the contemporary world, and why we refer to it as the period ‘after modernity’. We will examine how this contemporary archaeology came about and why, and how it overlaps with other cognate disciplines such as anthropology and cultural geography. We will become familiar with some of the early studies in contemporary archaeology from the late 1960s onwards, when archaeologists first started taking an interest in modern material culture, and at the critical reception that some of these studies received. We will then look at the methods used by archaeologists to investigate the contemporary world, some of which will seem very familiar, and others less so. Having established some frameworks in the first few weeks, we will then take a more thematic approach, looking for example at topics such as: Militarism and Industry; Transport; Society/Housing; and Waste. During these thematic classes we will look to critically engage with some of the most iconic and controversial projects in contemporary archaeology, and with some of the people responsible for them. In the final two classes, the focus will switch to a related question: how are contemporary sites, buildings, and material culture treated within heritage practice, for example in terms of heritage protection, museology, and development control and planning?
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Oral presentation/seminar/exam | 100.0 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Oral presentation/seminar/exam | 100.0 |
Module feedback
Formative: oral feedback from module leaders
Summative: written feedback within the University's turnaround policy
Indicative reading
- Graves-Brown, P., Harrison, R. and Piccini, A. (eds). 2013. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Contemporary World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Harrison, R. and Briethoff, E. 2017. Archaeologies of the Contemporary World. Annual Review of Anthropology 46(1): 203 - 221
- Harrison, R. and Schofield, J. 2010. After Modernity: Archaeological Approaches to the Contemporary Past. Oxford: Oxford University Press.