Mediating archaeology : the relationship between archaeology, the media and the public in Britain (1996-2002)

Abstract

This thesis is an inter-disciplinary study of how archaeologists, the mass media and the public interrelate in the process of archaeological communication.  The study takes a critical look at the relationship between these three communities in Britain, and at the representation of archaeology in British national newspapers and television documentaries, during a dynamic seven-year period (1996-2002).

Understanding the nature of this current relationship requires foundational work on the historical, contemporary and theoretical contexts that shape archaeological mediation.  This thesis begins with an historical account of archaeological communication and a discussion of recent trends that together explain the current timeliness of the subject.  It then goes on to explore the relationship from each partner’s perspective in order to establish the defining features of the relationship and how the perceptions that they have of each other and the values they place on the relationship affect their approaches to archaeological communication.

Through a critique of existing models of how communication works and an introduction of new models, an analysis is put forward that demonstrates how the public communication of archaeology functions as a process of mediation and how mediators play different roles in the process.  The results of this analysis suggest that the sources and especially the means involved in releasing archaeological information have a significant impact on archaeology’s public communication, a proposition that is then tested in detailed press and television case studies.

This thesis argues for, and makes a contribution to, a fundamental reconceptualisation of the relationship between archaeologists, the media and the public and the establishing of more evidence-based research in the field.

More information

Identifiers

Catalogue record

Export record

ASCII CitationAtomBibTeXData Cite XMLDublin CoreDublin CoreEP3 XMLEndNoteHTML CitationHTML CitationHTML ListJSONMETSMODSMPEG-21 DIDLOpenURL ContextObjectOpenURL ContextObject in SpanRDF+N-TriplesRDF+N3RDF+XMLRIOXX2 XMLReferReference ManagerSimple Metadata