Contributing to current discussions about archaeology and European modernity, this volume poses questions such as: How was the 'Minoan' past shaped by European modernity and by the given historical, social, and political conditions?

How does the production of 'Minoan' archaeology influence and is influenced by tourism and the media?

How does the political economy of archaeological practices shape interpretations, representations, and appropriations of the 'Minoan' past?

How has the 'Minoan' past become an object of appropriation in negotiating local, national, and transnational identities, and how has it been used to legitimate current aspirations?

After a century of 'Minoan' academic research, such questions must be addressed to stimulate the interest of those engaged with Aegean prehistory and archaeology, particularly regarding the establishment of Western archaeology as a project of modernity.

(...) [Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]