Exorcising the 'plague of fantasies

Mass Media and Archaeology's Role in the Present; Or, Why We Need an Archaeology of 'Now

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3919142
AutoresR Harrison (0000-0002-5030-0525, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, autor correspondente)
Ano2010
Volume42
Fascículo3
Páginas328-340
Data de publicação2010-09-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoWorld Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00438243.2010.497339
OpenAlexW1992073220
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas9
Referências citadas34

Taking as its starting point Slavoj Žižek's (1997) The Plague of Fantasies, this paper considers how the electronic mediascape and its contagious practices have come to dominate all areas of contemporary reportage and history-making. It suggests that Web 2.0's reliance on 'mob thinking' and 'wiki-histories' can lead to a rapid and widespread erasure of alternative accounts and non-dominant narratives. Against this background, the paper explores the urgency of developing an 'archaeology of now' which could provide a stimulus for the exploration of marginal and subaltern viewpoints and alternative contemporary histories. Such an archaeology might involve not only a focus on contemporary material evidence, but also the analysis of virtual material culture and the excavation of virtual media to reveal the power structures and micro-histories of the World Wide Web's dominant narratives. The paper is intentionally provocative, and aims to stimulate a broader engagement with an archaeology of the present. Keywords: Archaeologies of the presentelectronic mediascapeWeb 2.0'mob thinking'virtual material culturecyber-archaeology

plague · Digital Games and Media · Music History and Culture · Political theory and Gramsci