EXARC Journal (May 2014)
Archaeological Live Interpretations, Docu-Soaps and Themed Walks: Similarities and Differences
Abstract
2013 EXARC meeting at Csiki Pihenökert (HU) Since the 1990s, experience-oriented historical communication has been steadily increasing. Yet in-depth research of forms of historical representation and acquisition such as museum theatre, themed walks, or time travel within docu-soaps has remained minimal. Beginning in 2011/12, the fellows of the interdisciplinary research project, Living History: Reenacted Prehistory between Research and Popular Performance, in which historians, archaeologists, and European ethnologists participate and collaborate, have been applying themselves to the examination of these manifold performance-based practices of representation, communication, and acquisition of the past. The research is done from the German perspective framework and differs in some ways from Scandinavian, British and American models. First, our contribution gives a brief overview of the joint research concept. After all, living history is not only an interesting research field from an archaeological and museum educational perspective, but applicable to contemporary studies and cultural analysis. Subsequently, we will present the sub-projects and preliminary research results. As live interpretation in general play an increasingly significant role in questions of education and acquisition, the three projects share a broadly defined concept of living history in terms of physicality. Simultaneously, our presentation clarifies that such differing practices are based on different constructions and negotiations of knowledge.
