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6: AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE IRON CURTAIN<br />
inherent in the material itself that is valuable and uses the provocative<br />
example of Stonehenge to make her point that it “is basically a collection of<br />
rocks in a field” (Smith 2006:3). Criticism of this statement from archaeologist<br />
Brit Solli on the other hand counterclaims that “Stonehenge’s essence<br />
is its durable ‘stoniness’” and that there is something inherent in its<br />
materiality and permanence (Solli 2011:45). What is missed in this discussion,<br />
as shown by Pétursdóttir, is to recognise the hierarchy that is implied within<br />
these discussions of tangible or intangible, with one seen as better than the<br />
other. Pétursdóttir agrees with Smith that Stonehenge is exactly that, a<br />
collection of rocks in a field but what she disagrees with is Smith’s way of<br />
seeing this to be meaningless and instead she claims that the ‘stoniness’<br />
should be seen as valuable and important (Pétursdóttir 2013:47). She writes<br />
“Conversely though, it is not her [Smith’s] statement that ‘Stonehenge… is<br />
basically a collection of rocks in a field’… that is problematic; that is in fact<br />
exactly what it is. The problem, however, is to see that as meaningless. What<br />
characterizes the intangible heritage discourse (or even heritage discourses in<br />
general), as well as much of interpretative archaeology, is not only that meaning,<br />
value and significance are seen as inevitably subjective, but also that<br />
meaning is confused with or restricted, rather to symbolical or other modes of<br />
derivative meanings… is it so that Stonehenge itself, in its simple<br />
‘stoniness’… brings nothing of value to the encounters with the subjective<br />
experiences that for centuries have circulated around it” (Pétursdóttir<br />
2013:47, emphasis in original). Although the example of Stonehenge may<br />
appear exaggerated it is exactly because of its status as a monumental heritage<br />
that it becomes interesting and brings several questions forward. Most of all, I<br />
believe, it makes it clear that the discussions in which we place tangible and<br />
intangible against each other are not really going to bring the discussion of<br />
heritage forward. Similarly to discussions of the different sources we deal with<br />
in our research we have to be open to the different types of heritage we are<br />
faced with, tangible or intangible, and recognise the value in both. It is here<br />
that I fear this material turn is slipping over into the wrong type of focus in<br />
which strengthening the value and status of physical objects also means<br />
intensifying the divide between objects and other sources even further and<br />
with that we risk falling down in Andrén’s in-betweeness even further. I<br />
believe this material turn has its strength in the way it helps us interpret our<br />
sources in order not to load them with cultural and social values they are unfit<br />
to hold. It can help us to have an open and holistic methodology towards our<br />
sources so that we do not subject our narratives and metaphors to the mater-<br />
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