The tourists gaze, the Cretans glance : archaeology and tourism on a Greek island /

This short book offers both professional and general readers a perspective that, while debated in archaeological circles, has received minimal attention in other venues. What some have termed the archaeology of the contemporary past is as much about the present as it is about antiquity. This is clearly the case with respect to indigenous societies and their claims to cultural ownership over long-buried artifacts and human remains. The specific example here, the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, is particularly noteworthy because it has been made to carry such a significant social and cultural burden. From early in the last century, Bronze Age Crete has been defined as ancestral to Greek civilization, which in turn is commonly held to be the mainspring of Western culture. Duke (Fort Lewis College) interrogates the place of cultural tourism in contemporary society just as he examines the packaging of the past, whether for profit or for the purposes of consecrating national histories. In this topical and appealing book, he explores the wide range of political, cultural, and ethical issues that are at play in all archaeological endeavors. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. O. Pi-Sunyer emeritus, University of Massachusetts at Amherst