Archaeology Is a Brand!

"Cornelius Holtorf's book, Archaeology is a Brand!, is an entertaining enquiry into the meaning of archaeology in contemporary popular culture, investigating what is absorbed into the popular fabric, the image archaeologists project, and the role the archaeological profession plays in the shaping of popular perceptions... I enjoyed reading the book, the prose is clear, 'on message' without being too patronising." -Madeleine Hummler, Antiquity"Holtorf is correct: archaeology is a 'brand' and very much a part of popular culture. His analysis of archaeological themes in the media of Sweden, Germany, and Great Britain offers themes that appeal to broad audiences. In short, archaeology has become an integral part of the 'experience economy.' Highly recommended." -C. S. Peebles, CHOICE Magazine "When Holtorf says that archaeologists have come to terms with the popularity of their subject-the archaelogist is not digging up things, or even people, but dreams-he may be onto something... The bibliography will be much used in archaeology and media courses." -Mike Pitts, British Archaeology "Smartly published using a comic font and cartoons produced by the hilarious hand of Quentin Drew of Lampeter University, Wales. "Like Holtorf's previous book, Archaeology is a Brand! suffers from the same problem in terms of academic credibility in that it's a pleasure to read. Despite this is it a good book? For me a good book is one which brings to light new information, new ideas or new questions. If you're interested in the public perception of archaeology, then by that measure this is a good book." -Alun Salt, Archaeoastronomy.wordpress.com"It is hard not to imagine that Cornelius Holtorf spends his time in some kind of secret lair trying to come up with ever more inventive ways to drive mainstream archaeologists up the wall. Archaeology is a Brand! plays with every perception of what an archaeological text is supposed to be like..Archaeology is a Brand! has interesting things to say about the ways in which archaeology is presented in popular culture and how the public, in turn, experiences archaeology.Archaeology is a Brand! is an interesting and thought-provoking book, well worth reading for the questions it raises, even if the reader does not agree with the answers Holtorf suggests." - James Holloway, Archaeological Review from Cambridge In this high-spirited examination of archaeology's public image, Cornelius Holtorf sets out to illuminate current themes that mark the public understanding of archaeology as a scientific enterprise...These chapters make interesting inroads into the question of the nature and scope of the public presentation of archaeology, and will perhaps make the discipline of archaeology more appealing as a topic for scholars in sociology and history, who tend to focus on scientific subjects at the top of the disciplinary hierarchy (physics and laboratory biology). .Holtorf raises serious questions that deserve serious consideration by the scientific community, if we are to think of scientific knowledge as belonging to all. -Katherine Pandora, Public Understanding of Science. In the past, I admired Cornelius Holtorf's research on megalithic monuments. Now he has shifted his research to the interrelation between archaeology and popular culture and produced a survey on how people view archaeology and archaeologists. The book is aimed at professional archaeologists and students.I enjoyed this book. Holtorf provided a useful survey of how archaeologists and archaeology are viewed by the general public. I recommend this book to all archaeologists and students who are interested in this subject. -Sarunas Milisauskas, Anthropology Review Database