The Contemporary Archaeology of Nuclear Waste : Communicating with the Future

• The future will differ from what we are used to in the present. Yet in archaeology, the heritage sector and the nuclear waste sector, most assumptions do not build on an understanding of how the future will be different from today. Instead, planning is made as if key aspects of heritage and nuclear waste will not change significantly in the future at all. The present authors are both archaeologists with an interest in applying our academic expertise to challenges in contemporary and future society (Holtorf and Högberg, 2015a). Between 2012 and 2014 we worked on an interdisciplinary research project entitled One hundred thousand years back and forth. Archaeology meets radioactive waste. Based on results from this project, we suggest here that archaeologists and other professionals working in the heritage sector, as well as their institutions, should start thinking in more depth about the future. We suggest that heritage specialists should not only promote historical consciousness but also future consciousness. Both these forms of consciousness are essential for the ability to appreciate the interconnections between past, present and future. 

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Future archaeology

nuclear waste management

contemporary archaeology

archaeology of the future

Arkeologi

Archaeology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)