05 September 2010

Engaging the Recent Past: Public, Political, Post-medieval Archaeology

Conference organised by the Post-Medieval Archaeology Society

Main conference venue: Western Infirmary Lecture Theatre (WILT), University of Glasgow, Dumbarton Road, Glasgow
G11 6NT

Fees: £75 (£45 for student/young person); SPMA members: £45 / £30).

Description:

The recent past merges seamlessly with the present. In engaging with this past we explore the nature of our own society and we are confronted with questions about the role of archaeology in the contemporary world.

This three-day conference will reflect upon and debate the public nature of our engagement with the archaeology of the last 500 years. The conference will consider public archaeology, community archaeology and the politics of archaeology. Delegates will analyse , question and evaluate theory and practice and consider case studies from Scotland, England, the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The conference will cover themes including:

the politics, ethics, practice and pragmatics of archaeology in public and community contexts;
community engagement in rural field projects and the representation of the rural past through museums;
research, policy and public engagement in the archaeology of human remains and burial;
urban and industrial communities past and present;
the present-day resonance of battlefield and conflict archaeology.
The main conference venue is the University of Glasgow. On Friday 3rd September, the conference will open with a walking tour of medieval and post-medieval Glasgow, incorporating a visit to a Glasgow Museums exhibition ‘Digging up the past’. The tour will be followed, in the evening, by a keynote speech by Prof. Martin Hall and a wine reception in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum. There will be a conference dinner on the Saturday evening.

Further information and bookings from www.spma.org.uk