04-15-2005, 12:25 PM
Interesting question, but my main response is: does it matter what they think? I am an archaeologist and find both doing re-enactment, and visiting re-eanctments, enhances my understanding of the past. Even if I'm worried about the authenticity of what I see, it's still engaging my brain on some level (if only to keep it enquiring and thoughtful, rather than static in its outlook).
Those who are of the disposition to dismiss re-enactment out of hand are missing something, and that's their problem. We are unlikely to be able to 'convert' them and it's their loss, not ours. Fortunately, my own profession seems to be generally very open to re-enactment as a valid way to explore the past, and there are a lot of us archaeologists in British re-enactment.
Those who are of the disposition to dismiss re-enactment out of hand are missing something, and that's their problem. We are unlikely to be able to 'convert' them and it's their loss, not ours. Fortunately, my own profession seems to be generally very open to re-enactment as a valid way to explore the past, and there are a lot of us archaeologists in British re-enactment.
