Combat Archaeology

This series of short volumes, each devoted to a theme which is the subject of contemporary debate in archaeology, ranges from issues in theory and method to aspects of world archaeology. The archaeology of recent conflict is a fast-moving field of research. It is challenging and provocative. It deals with established historical events for which the material remains are unquestionably 'heritage', but also the more recent, tragic and heavily politicised events, actions and places whose meaning and significance is more ambiguous. But although recent and familiar, it is also a subject that draws closely on established principles of archaeological theory and practice, while also connecting with the related fields of history, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, art and representation. Here the author draws together projects and ideas from a diverse literature and from his own research, presenting them as a worked example of contemporary archaeology, of heritage management practice and of archaeological principles and theory. This study encapsulates a lively area of current debate: fascinating, challenging, controversial, contemporary and cross-disciplinary.