Exorcising the 'plague of fantasies

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

Bibliographic Data

ID3919142
AuthorsR Harrison (0000-0002-5030-0525, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume42
Issue3
Pages328-340
Publication date2010-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00438243.2010.497339
OpenAlexW1992073220
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited34

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