Discussion chaired by Lindsey Fine and Emily Wright.
The result of the EU referendum in the UK and the election of Donald Trump to the office of President in the US marked more than a political turning point. Whilst the exploitation of narratives of the past by nationalist and populist movements is nothing new in archaeology, contemporary politics has come to operate in a world of “alternative” facts and post-truth narratives. The impact of “fake news” arguments and the rejection of expert knowledge has significant consequences for academia and public engagement.
What are the political implications for conducting Aegean archaeology from UK or US institutions now? Where does Aegean archaeology stand when it comes to research, fieldwork, funding, permits, data collection and storage, interpretation and dissemination in a post-truth world? How do we obtain and frame knowledge, how do we disseminate it, and how do we convince others of the value of the work of experts that the wider world has allegedly “had enough of”?
How do we go about the process of knowledge verification? How do we hold disseminators to account? And fundamentally, then, what is the long-term impact of post-truth politics on pedagogy in Aegean archaeology? Do the oft-paraphrased words of the philosopher George Santayana – “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” – hold true in a time when it is precisely the failure of expert knowledge to correctly predict political fallout that has come to undermine the role of academe?
There is no requirement to read all or any of the papers in order to participate in the discussion; just turn up and we shall see where the conversation leads.
Suggested readings:
DAVIES, W. 2017 'How statistics lost their power - and why we should fear what comes next', The Guardian
DEAN, A. 2017 'Was Michael Gove right? Have we had enough of experts?', Prospect Magazine
LOCKIE, S. 2017 'Post-truth politics and the social sciences', Environmental Sociology 3.1, 1-5
MAIR, J. 2017 'Post-truth anthropology', Anthropology Today 33.3, 3-4
MUCKLE, B. 2017 'Equipping archaeology for the post-truth, fake news era', Anthropology News 58.1, 164-167
SISMONDO, S. 2017 'Post-truth?', Social Studies of Science 47.1, 3-6
WILK, R. 2017 'Is Anthropology ready for the 21st century?', Anthropology News - online preprint
