Reckoning with the Popular Uptake of Alien Archaeology

This article summarizes my experience at Baltimore AlienCon in 2018. The programme offered a curious blend of themes explored in Ancient Aliens and similar programming, alongside other domains of 'pseudoscience', 'rogue' archaeology, and conspiracy theory, with an added touch of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPublic archaeology Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 162 - 183
Main Author Rossi, Franco D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 03.07.2019
Subjects
aliens
archaeology in popular culture
conspiracy theories
manifest destiny
nationalism
pseudoarchaeology
space exploration
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Summary:This article summarizes my experience at Baltimore AlienCon in 2018. The programme offered a curious blend of themes explored in Ancient Aliens and similar programming, alongside other domains of 'pseudoscience', 'rogue' archaeology, and conspiracy theory, with an added touch of science-fiction fandom and marketing for Prometheus Entertainment. Framed by the event, this article considers aliens, heritage, and belonging in the United States at a moment of unprecedented misinformation campaigns and historical racial reckoning. It explores how archaeological expertise is implicated, invoked, and rejected in such forums and their associated media; and questions how anthropologists and archaeologists might reckon with the often-troubling widespread public uptake of their knowledge into influential conspiracies.
ISSN:1465-5187
1753-5530
DOI:10.1080/14655187.2021.1920795