Experiencing Archaeology in the Dream Society

The benefits of archaeology are seldom discussed in relation to the evident fascination of many people with the subjects of archaeology and the past. This current popularity of a certain way of perceiving archaeology and the past can be seen as a part of larger trends associated with the Experience or Dream Society as described by scholars such as Gerhard Schulze and Rolf Jensen. In this paper, I will discuss what these trends in society are and how archaeological practice can relate to them. In particular I am relating archaeology to a number of popular ”stories”, such as adventure stories, that thrive in contemporary society and that can be told very well through archaeology. Cultural heritage tourism provides one important context where such stories are already told through archaeology, drawing on particular images of the past. Tangible heritage has thus become a potent symbol for the Experience or Dream Society and a particular way of perceiving both archaeology and the past. Ultimately this chapter is seeking to answer the question what cultural role archaeology can play in our society. For that, widespread perceptions of what archaeology and the past are all about are not something to be corrected, in order to achieve a more accurate representation of an existing or former reality, but something to be carefully studied, in order for archaeology to offer to our own society a service in demand.