This volume presents the state of the art of the sub-field of contemporary archaeology (sometimes called ‘archaeology of the contemporary past’). The editors (pp 1–23) admit that this is less a ‘handbook’ by which to ‘do’ contemporary archaeology, but more a means of presenting many varied projects and methods that consider the present and recent past by both archaeologists and others working in allied fields. Following an introduction to the history of the sub-field, they gamely attempt to define ‘contemporary archaeology’, and then engage in a reflection on its role in the wider discipline, which is particularly useful for those unfamiliar with the subject. The volume contains noteworthy contributions by Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries, Matthew Edgeworth and John Schofield, and is co-edited by Rodney Harrison, also a Fellow, reflecting the broad range of expertise on display and the relevance of the volume for practitioners of archaeology across the board.

The book covers a huge range of topics and begins with chapters that showcase the genuinely interdisciplinary nature of the sub-field. Fewster (pp 27–39) discusses how ethnoarchaeology acted as an ‘ancestor’ to contemporary archaeology, and she is followed with chapters by non-archaeologists on the contributions of anthropology, sociology, the history of science and others. For example, Webmoor (pp 105–20) discusses the importance of science and technology studies (STS) to contemporary archaeology and the opportunities for improved co-operation between the disciplines. At times the jargon of STS in some of the early chapters (for example, Webmoor) may alienate the reader who has little prior knowledge of this branch of theory, but, on the whole, the introductory section succeeds in highlighting the broad-spectrum of perspectives offered by the sub-field and its relevance for reconsidering all aspects of what archaeology can offer the contemporary world.

Powers and Sibun’s chapter on forensic archaeology (pp 40–53) keeps this first section grounded in the practical and highlights just how much archaeological approaches to the past have to offer the present; for example, providing scientifically grounded expert knowledge that can be relied upon even in our society, such as for police murder investigations. The idea of an archaeological practice making manifest evidence of past crimes and injustices is a powerful one, not only limited to forensics, but also, as later chapters demonstrate (such as Mullin’s on how archaeology can reveal the recent history of racism, discussed below), how archaeology as a discipline can act as a powerful force for restitution and human well-being across a wide range of scales.

The section ‘Recurrent Themes’ introduces some of the major issues considered by contemporary archaeology, including ‘Time’ (Olivier), ‘Ruins’ (Lucas), ‘Sectarianism’ (McAtackney), ‘Heritage’ (Harrison) and ‘Waste’ (Reno). These, when compared with the chapters in what many see as the foundational text of the sub-discipline, Archaeologies of the Contemporary Past (Buchli and Lucas 2001), show us just how much the field has developed in the twelve years between the two publications.

Of particular note is Edgeworth’s chapter, ‘Scale’ (pp 379–91), where he discusses the unique challenges of extreme spatial and temporal scales faced by archaeologists of the contemporary era. He explores how we might understand the Anthropocene’s mega and nano scales, from kilometres-high artificial salt caverns to nanometre-sized transistors, as well as our relationship to very long-term and short-term temporal scales (the geological, for example) and his research highlights the genuine untapped potential for archaeology to consider such issues.

The remainder of the book is broken into three sections that provide in-depth case studies combining the more theoretical and methodological content of the earlier sections. ‘Mobilities, Space, Place’ showcases the way archaeology can investigate the conflicting role of movement in the modern era and the materials that sustain it. Sheller (pp 395–408) discusses the history of aluminium as a substance, ‘deeply implicated in modern material cultures, practices, and ideologies of speed and mobility’ (p 395). Her overview, at times, ignores the small-scale ‘dirty’ history of such a material (for example, mines, miners, commodity prices) in favour of broader narratives, such as modernism, but, despite this, highlights our paradoxical reliance on, yet ignorance of, much of our present-day environment. Similarly, Mullin’s chapter (pp 508–21) shows, at a much closer resolution, how an archaeological examination of materials can reveal long-hidden prejudices and assumptions in our everyday landscape, in this case through a Civil War memorial in Indianapolis.

In ‘Media and Mutabilities’ the topics considered include the archaeology of civil unrest (Dixon, pp 565–77), screens as material manifestations of power relationships at the Vancouver Olympics (Piccini, pp 610–26) and the archaeology of the Burning Man Festival (White, pp 595–609), where the challenges faced by the archaeologist of temporary events of any period are vividly highlighted.

In ‘Things and Connectivities’ humans’ interactions with technology since the industrial revolution are considered. For example, Maxwell and Miller discuss global mobile phone use by foregrounding the grim reality of human–material relations, tracing rare earth elements from the Congo into the factories of Foxconn and finally to the individualist ‘emancipation’ of the mobile phone. Another highlight is Penrose’s ‘Archaeologies of the Post-industrial Body’ (pp 685–98), where the human form is shown to act as a proxy for changes in how we have interacted with our environment over the last century, from production lines to office chairs.

These are the kind of topics on which contemporary archaeology can genuinely offer new perspectives by combining a huge range of sources and methods; such archaeology can complement studies that we might once have seen as the sole concern of anthropologists, or even politicians, and act as a force for human well-being in the present and future.

The volume succeeds in providing a coherent introduction to this broad sub-field, but also provides a collection of the work of some of the most prominent and inspirational scholars investigating the contemporary era. Though some chapters are occasionally jargon-heavy or short, in general the reader will find papers of interest no matter in what period or area of archaeology they specialise, given the volume’s emphasis on interdisciplinary new methods and long-term processes that showcase new theoretical and practical developments for investigating the past, and, arguably more importantly, lead to questions about the state of our present-day societies.