This title is no longer publishing. Submissions have been closed and the editorial team are no longer active. Present Pasts emerged from the UCL Institute of Archaeology Heritage Studies Section and is currently being re-launched in collaboration with the Department of Anthropology of the University of South Florida. Present Pasts contains global and cross-cultural perspectives in the fields of Cultural Heritage Studies, Public Archaeology and Museum Studies. The journal encourages debate on contemporary issues in heritage and heritage management at the intersection of war, conflict, environmental stress, and tourism, and seeks to give voice to a wide range of stakeholders in the Heritage sector.
Present Pasts is an Open Access journal, which permits the full rights enshrined in the Creative Commons Attribution licence that allows users free, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship.
Expanding Heritage Horizons through the Cheltenham: A Diaspora Project
This article considers the Cheltenham: Diaspora project, an exploration and promotion of migration heritage narratives in Cheltenham (UK). Cheltenham has a diverse history, but heritage provision in the locality has been consistently concentrated on 18th and 19th century Regency architecture. This has led to a marginalisation of non-elite heritage narratives, with no permanent platform for culturally diverse heritage themes in the region. In addition, informal, online history themed social media groups have, rather than expand heritage narratives, ultimately further narrowed heritage discussions. The Diaspora project looked to challenge the lack of diversity in the authorised heritage discourse, and informal online discourses of Cheltenham’s heritage, while enhancing the democratic nature of research projects coming out of the University of Gloucestershire. This paper considers the difficulties encountered in attempting to democratise heritage research, in a cultural climate that is rigid in its perception of what counts as ‘heritage’ and what is deemed as relevant by more ‘vocal’ local stakeholder groups. Ultimately the project reveals that while social media provides a useful avenue through which diverse heritage narratives can be pursued and promoted, ingrained attitudes regarding authorised forms of heritage are robust and resistant to the introduction of the unfamiliar.
Copyright (c) 2020 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In an Age of Heritage Signs, Encouraging Archaeological Sites to be Cosmopolitan Canopies
To mark history, governments authorize the erecting of markers, signs on the landscape meant to inform. While historical markers have a long tradition for identifying places with significant events and people, there has been an expansion on what and how to mark places and their heritage. Signs capture the attention and provide information for those interested in learning about where they are at the moment. They are in-situ teaching tools, open to anyone able to interpret the heritage for broad audiences, and can encourage places for cosmopolitanism, canopies for people to learn about the past and each other.
Copyright (c) 2019 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The 2014 Ngolog Mitmit: A Case Study Examining Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, FSM
This article provides an ethnographic case study of heritage processes in action that were observed and recorded during fieldwork in 2013 and 2014 on the Main Islands of Yap State—the westernmost state of the Federated States of Micronesia. A description will be provided of a historic traditional gathering known as a mitmit which from the day it was decided upon activated the transmission of cultural heritage knowledge and practices throughout Yap’s Main Islands. By examining the mitmit, the event’s significance for Yapese stakeholders, and how the U.S. National Park Service was indirectly involved, several findings emerge. It is found that the planning, organization and performance of the mitmit assisted in preserving elements of Yapese cultural heritage that local stakeholders identified as most valuable and in need of safeguarding. The case study also supports the continuing utility of Chambers’ (2006) public and private heritage constructs, especially when evaluating heritage practices within indigenous contexts where the preservation of intangible cultural heritage is often a more critical concern. The analysis suggests that more attention should be devoted to identifying how public heritage interventions can activate private heritage practices, thereby mitigating the hegemonic effects of Smith’s (2004) authorized heritage discourse (AHD).
Rose’s Gift: Slavery, Kinship, and the Fabric of Memory
One of the most evocative objects in the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is an embroidered cloth bag that has come to be known as “Ashley’s Sack”. Stitch-work on the bag, signed “Ruth Middleton”, recounts the bag’s painful history, as a gift presented by an enslaved woman, Rose, to her daughter Ashley, when Ashley was sold at age nine in South Carolina. This paper explores ‘Ashley’s sack’ as an object of history, memory, ritual action, and aesthetic creativity.
Copyright (c) 2017 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Lucifer Over Luxor: Archaeology, Egyptology, and Occultism in Kenneth Anger’s Magick Lantern Cycle
One of the great figureheads of American experimental cinema, Kenneth Anger (b.1927), is internationally renowned for his pioneering work, recognisable for its blend of homoerotica, popular and classical music, and dark, symbolist imagery. A follower of Thelema, the religion of infamous British occultist Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), Anger’s work is imbued with occult themes and undercurrents rarely comprehensible to the non-initiated viewer. In exploring these esoteric ideas, Anger makes use of archaeology and heritage in his short films Eaux d’Artifice (1953) and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954–66), as well as in the lost films The Love That Whirls (1949) and Thelema Abbey (1955), which utilize such disparate elements as Aztec human sacrifice and putative Renaissance Satanism. However, this theme only reaches its apex in Lucifer Rising (1980), an exploration of Thelemic theology filmed at such sites as Avebury, Luxor, and Karnak, which reflects and propagates the Thelemic view of the past—an ‘alternative archaeology’ rooted in Crowley’s own fascination with Egyptomania. This paper seeks to explore Anger’s use of the past and place it in its proper context of twentieth-century Western esotericism.
Copyright (c) 2016 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Digital Public Engagement through Social Media in Archaeology – How to Choose
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> Since the creation of the World Wide Web in the 1990s we have seen exponential growth in digital engagement platforms. Archaeologists are now faced with a wide range of digital engagement tools to choose from, especially in the area of social media. However, it is not possible to use all the available social media tools and many people are at a loss as to which one is the ‘best.’ This paper investigates what criteria one should use to evaluate the different social media options. 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Spectral Anatomies: Heritage, Hauntology and the ‘Ghosts’ of Varosha
This paper unravels the idea of the ‘ghost town’ - and more specifically the deserted district of Varosha, Famagusta - as it relates to heritage, questioning the discursive dynamics and affective potential of what can seem a trite and therefore hollow phrase. Drawing on apposite theories of hauntology (Derrida 1993) and the ghosts of place (Bell 1997) I argue that there is a dense back-and-forth between two distinct positions in this term, both of which play into wider heritage processes. The first understands the ghost town as an empty if uniquely atmospheric space, ripe for development or ‘dark tourism’ (Lennon and Foley 2000). Heritage is implicated here in the protection and promotion of sites which may be perceived as ‘ruin porn’ - by turns melancholy and exhilarating but fundamentally removed from contemporary life. The second position unsettles this reading by focusing on the complexities of the very word ‘ghost’, here understood as ‘the sense of the presence of those who are not physically there’ (Bell 1997: 813). From this perspective, common heritage practices (including collecting, exhibiting and narrating) might be seen as an attempt to psychologically re-inhabit vacant places, a process which takes on extra significance around the highly politicised context of Varosha. Through fieldwork, archival research and intertextual and visual analysis I track the description of Varosha as a ghost town across journalism, contemporary art and diasporic discourse, in the process anatomising this spectral designation to reconceptualise its wider relevance to heritage.
Copyright (c) 2014 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2015 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Archaeology of Digital Abandonment: Online Sustainability and Archaeological Sites
After 15 years of hosting millions of user-built webpages, in April 2009 Yahoo! announced that they would be shutting down their United States Geocities webpages. Geocities was once the most common hosting service for low-cost personal webpages, including hundreds of public outreach sites about archaeology. Were the webpages moved to another hosting site, archived, or just abandoned? We tracked and recorded the fate of 88 of these webpages, eventually sending a survey to the webmasters asking them a range of questions. While we received relatively few responses, the answers to the questions were illuminating. Much of the current digital outreach performed all over the world relies on ‘free’ services such as Twitter, Flickr, Wordpress, Google Pages, or Facebook to host their content. What can the fate of archaeological content on Geocities pages tell us about the benefits and risks of using commercial infrastructure for archaeological outreach? We propose that sorting through the digital wreckage of past outreach efforts helps us to evaluate the eventual fate of the archaeological presence online.
Can UNESCO do More to Counter Terrorists’ Destruction of World Heritage?
In 1937 in Jerash, Transjordan, Margaret Murray gave Gerald Lankester Harding recipes for meat curry and dahl. This article briefly traces each archaeologist’s personal and professional trajectory as they moved between Britain and various imperial outposts, and situates the recipes within the complex contexts of their histories. The recipes, staples of Anglo-Indian cuisine, take on new meaning as symbols of the hybridity of archaeological identity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
‘… a certain faculty for extricating cash’: Collective Sponsorship in Late 19th and Early 20th Century British Archaeology
Collective sponsorship was crucial for the evolution of archaeological research in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Britain. This paper will briefly introduce the use of collective sponsorship in British archaeology during this period and chart the changes evident as more substantial ‘block’ funding became available with the creation of new institutions. It will explore the gradual shift away from ‘private’ to ‘public’ forms of funding, and highlight an emerging dominance of industry and professionalism over the seemingly aristocratic, amateur tradition. However it posits that even with increasing consolidation, the strength of personal networks provided both foundation and maintenance for the new age.
Copyright (c) 2013 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
PUBLICISING PETRIE: Financing Fieldwork in British Mandate Palestine (1926–1938)
The cost of archaeological fieldwork has always been high, even for someone as notoriously parsimonious as Flinders Petrie. Money was constantly needed to finance his excavations, bring objects back to England and organize publication of the results. Over the course of his career Petrie developed a range of fundraising strategies, including setting up the British School of Archaeology in Egypt to coordinate efforts. Moving his base of operations to British Mandate Palestine brought a whole new series of challenges, not the least being how to generate public interest in this new endeavour. This paper will explore the various methods by which funds were generated to support Petrie’s research, including use of newspaper and radio coverage, public lectures and exhibitions, merchandising and appeals to the generosity of individual patrons. It will also consider how the purposes of fundraising developed over time, and ways in which we can measure the success of the tactics used.
Constructing Identity and Heritage at the Crossroads: Albanian Families’ Cross-Border Connections and Homemaking Projects in Athens
Drawing from the author’s ethnographic/participatory work with Albanian families in Athens, this paper tells the story of two families constructing identity and heritage in Greece and Albania. The processes involved in the families’ literal and metaphorical connections with the ‘old country’, manifested in cross-border links, everyday routines and material cultures, are integral to their homebuilding projects in their new locale. Given families’ multiple-place-allegiance and disenfranchised status in a Greek context, theories on transnationalism and history and heritage from below are utilised in order to consider identity and heritage formation in the course of everyday routines. It is argued that the experience of building lives in more than two worlds results in the emergence of plurilocal identities, challenging spatially bounded notions of heritage.
The Attitudes of Palestinian Religious Scholars and Institutions toward the Looting of Palestine's Archaeological Heritage
Over the past several decades, Palestine’s archaeological heritage has faced serious challenges caused by the looting of antiquities. This ongoing phenomenon has resulted in the partial or total destruction of thousands of archaeological sites and features, and the extraction of hundreds of thousands of heritage objects. Despite the tremendous efforts made toward the protection of these archaeological resources, the Palestinians must redouble their endeavors and begin to create new, appropriate and practical measures in order to safeguard their homeland’s heritage. This paper focuses on the attitudes of Palestinian religious institutions and religious scholars toward the looting of archaeological material by Palestinians from heritage sites located within the Palestinian National Territories. It consists of two parts: (a) a fieldwork project carried out by the author over a significant period to examine the religious attitudes of Muslim and Christian religious institutions and their scholars toward this issue, and (b) presentation of the results in a workshop organized by the Institute of Archaeology of Al-Quds University, under the same title as this paper, held on November 21st, 2011 on the Abu Dies campus. The principle aim of this study is to inquire into the official attitudes expressed by the Palestinian religious institutions and scholars regarding this problem and then to make this information available to the public.
Commodity Forms and Levels of Value in Archaeology: A Response to Gestrich
Copyright (c) 2011 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Should the UK be nominating More World Heritage Sites?
This article is an account of a challenge issued in a seminar at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL in October 2010: it looks at the changing political and economic context within which the UK nominates World Heritage Sites, and questions whether – practically, and even ethically – we should be continuing to submit sites to the World Heritage Committee for inclusion on the World Heritage List. Over the last few years, my work has provided me a with series of insights into particular aspects of the World Heritage question: an analysis of the Tentative List Review process for English Heritage, and of the responses to the “World Heritage for the Nation” consultation for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), followed by a year of work on the UK’s latest World Heritage Site nomination of the Twin Monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow, and on the management plan for the World Heritage Site of Ancient Merv (Turkmenistan). This cocktail of World Heritage research and practice has given me, like many, a respect for the concept and the ideals behind it, but doubts about the implementation. My conclusions are personal and partial, and if they generate further discussion I will have achieved my aim.
Putting a Price on the Past: The Ethics and Economics of Archaeology in the Marketplace - A Reply to "What is Public Archaeology"
A Reply to "Should the UK Be Nominating More World Heritage Sites?"
Doing Archaeology Publicly: The Bayshore Homes Project, Florida
The Bayshore Homes site is a precolumbian mound and midden complex located in the Parque Narváez neighborhood of Pinellas County, Florida. Over the past decade, archaeological excavation and research have been conducted in a very public environment: the front and back yards of the subdivision’s residents. Involving the residents as partners in the process of discovery about the neighborhood’s ancient past has been an essential component of the project since its inception. This paper discusses the results of such involvement, from the use of volunteers to educating residents about the importance of preserving the neighborhood’s Native American heritage.
Neighborhood Archaeology: Exploring the Significance of Volunteers, Communities, and Local Politics for Contemporary Archaeology
The expanding discussions of public archaeology have propelled consideration of the roles for descendant communities, both linear descendants and those with social ties to the peoples whose lives are being studied. Consideration of local communities has included the economic potential of heritage tourism and the dynamics of civic engagements. There have been important contributions on issues of race and recently on class. This collection seeks to extend consideration of public archaeology as civic engagements within urban neighborhoods, to explore the implications of archaeological research within and with complex social places. The integration of volunteers, the significance of archaeological sites and historic structures for communities, and the local politics involved in historic preservation and neighborliness focus the contributions.
Saving Eighteenth-Century New Smyrnea: Public Archaeology in Action
During the British Period in Florida the New Smyrnea settlement (1768-1777) was part of the British effort to populate East Florida. The settlement pattern of modern New Smyrna Beach overlaps that of eighteenth-century New Smyrnea creating a complex setting for historical and archaeological research. This paper reviews the efforts of local citizen volunteers, historians, archaeologists, and civic officials to recover part of their city’s heritage through archaeology and historical research. City, county, state, national, and international levels have been involved. Some sites have been excavated, others have been lost, and some have been preserved during the past decade and the future will bring many more challenges.
Public Involvement in the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project
The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project was initiated in 1998 to locate and investigate an eighteenth-century French mission, garrison, and trading post. Public education and outreach have been essential to the success of the project from the start. Various stakeholders are recognizing the potential benefits and consequences of site investigation, heritage tourism, and a partnership with a large state university. The future of public involvement in the project and the lessons to be learned are dependent upon our ability to identify common ground in which archaeology serves as a metaphor for the discovery and recovery of our collective past.
Who “Owns” the Euphronios Krater? Nationalism and Internationalism in the Protection of Archaeological Heritage
This paper is based in part on a longer article, “Beyond the nationalist–internationalist polarisation in the protection of archaeological heritage: A response to Professor Merryman”, that was published in Art Antiquity and Law, vol. XIV, no. 3 (October 2009), pp. 237–274. We thank the editor of Art Antiquity and Law for permission to republish some of this material here.
Heritage, Neighborhoods and Cosmopolitan Sensibilities: Poly-Communal Archaeology in Deerfield, Massachusetts
Cosmopolitan sensibilities acknowledging mutual obligations and human interconnectedness can orient people navigating the complexities of neighborhood and other forms of community-based archaeology. I suggest that practice aimed at engaging in ethical heritage work in neighborhoods can benefit from fostering cosmopolitan values among participants and stakeholders. I outline a model for “poly-communal archaeology,” an approach that takes a cosmopolitan stance and engages multiple stakeholders in neighborhood archaeology and heritage work. I then reflect on a case study of heritage work that employs such an approach in the neighborhood of “Old Deerfield” in western Massachusetts, U.S.A. In this case, a cosmopolitan sensibility is deployed to restructure the social relations that underpin heritage work.