Prehistoric human life is a common reference point in contemporary
culture, inspiring attempts to become happier, healthier, or better
people. Exploited by capitalism, overwhelmed by technology, and living
in the shadow of environmental catastrophe, we call on the prehistoric
to escape the present, and to model alternative ways of living our
lives.In Back to the Stone Age Ben Pitcher explores how ideas about race
are tightly woven into the powerful origin stories we use to explain who
we are, where we came from, and what we are like. Using a broad range of
examples from popular culture - from everyday practices like lighting
fires and walking in the woods to engagements with genetic technologies
and Neanderthal DNA, from megaliths and museum mannequins to television
shows and best-selling nonfiction - Pitcher demonstrates how prehistory
is alive in the twenty-first century, and argues that popular flights
back in time provide revealing insights into present-day anxieties,
obsessions, and concerns.Back to the Stone Age shows that the human past
is not set in stone. By opening up the prehistoric to critical
contestation, Pitcher places racial justice at the centre of questions
about the existence and persistence of Homo sapiens in the contemporary
world.