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Archaeological Interpretation: The Rhetorical Shaping of Public Memory

Archaeological Interpretation: The Rhetorical Shaping of Public Memory

Amanda C. Watts
Copyright: © 2020 |Pages: 19
ISBN13: 9781799810599|ISBN10: 1799810593|ISBN13 Softcover: 9781799810605|EISBN13: 9781799810612
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-1059-9.ch003
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MLA

Watts, Amanda C. "Archaeological Interpretation: The Rhetorical Shaping of Public Memory." Developing Effective Communication Skills in Archaeology, edited by Enrico Proietti, IGI Global, 2020, pp. 34-52. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1059-9.ch003

APA

Watts, A. C. (2020). Archaeological Interpretation: The Rhetorical Shaping of Public Memory. In E. Proietti (Ed.), Developing Effective Communication Skills in Archaeology (pp. 34-52). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1059-9.ch003

Chicago

Watts, Amanda C. "Archaeological Interpretation: The Rhetorical Shaping of Public Memory." In Developing Effective Communication Skills in Archaeology, edited by Enrico Proietti, 34-52. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2020. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1059-9.ch003

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Abstract

This chapter explores the role of archaeological interpretation in relation to public memory. Tools from the fields of rhetoric and composition studies offer productive avenues to consider the role and responsibility of archaeologists in the earliest rhetorical shaping of public memory. Scholarship on publics and public memory apply to understanding the rhetorical process as archaeologists' texts circulate through filters of stakeholders, journalists, or other cultural heritage specialists. Case studies of texts produced during excavations at Mes Aynak, Afghanistan, and Chedworth Roman Villa, UK are rhetorically analyzed to understand their contribution to public discourses, offering insight into new approaches to ethical best practice in archaeological communication. Acknowledging the work texts is important for any author contributing to the social sphere, though there is a burden unique to archaeology as authoring history into modern cultural consciousness.

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