The Material History of Glastonbury

Research team member and project co-PI, Alison Wylie has written a provocative blog post with colleague Bob Chapman on the material history of Glastonbury, famed both for its music festivals and its archaeological record. The post, which appears in the blog, "Extinct: the philosophy of paleontology" examines the connections between the use of the Gastonbury landscape and its corresponding material record. Their assessment moves from the famous music festival, which creates a massive temporary city that leaves virtually no material trace, to the long history of archaeological sites beneath the ground. Their exploration of the latter considers both the social context of scholarship and the sampling challenges of understanding history from things. They conclude that the study of material history is "a vibrant trading zone whose well-functioning depends on all the contingencies of institutional structure, funding, disciplinary cultures and social dynamics."