That Was Then, This Is Now: Contemporary Archaeology and Material Cultures in Australia
About this ebook
Through their examination of such artefacts as comic books, road memorials, bullet holes, showbags and cable ties, the authors explore the complex relations between people, places, and things and the emotions underpinning them – nostalgia, play, grief, and humour. Issues and ideas of international scope are addressed through a focused approach as authors locate their site-specific studies in both rural and urban geographies, as well as in the spaces of the imagination, the universe and even the personal home.
Given the enormous scale and diversity of material generated by the practices of living in the present, it is difficult to imagine how the archaeologies and material cultures of the contemporary world may be defined. The studies presented here offer a way forward, and, in doing so, point reflexively to the past, as well as the now and the future of things to come.
About the author
Anne Clarke is Associate Professor in Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Sydney, where she is the Degree Director for the Master’s in Museum and Heritage Studies. Her research focuses on the archaeology of Arnhem Land, the archaeology of cross-cultural engagement and colonialism, rock art and mark-making practices, ethnographic collections and objects, community archaeology, narrative and archaeology, and heritage. Her current collaborative research projects include ‘The Quarantine Project’, an archaeological and historical study of inscriptions at the North Head Quarantine Station, Sydney, and ‘Excavating MacGregor: re-connecting a colonial museum collection’, a study of 19th century ethnographic museum collections from Papua New Guinea.
