New Theoretical Directions in Mediterranean Archaeology is a series of workshops that brings together students, faculty, and guest speakers to explore the role of archaeological theory in our understanding of the global past. Theory provides common ground for archaeologists working around the world and across academic departments because archaeological method is inherently interdisciplinary. Over the course of the 2023-24 academic year, we will host four scholars conducting fieldwork across the Mediterranean basin, a diverse region linking Europe, Africa, and Asia, to discuss how theory informs their work. Scholars will be invited to present their current research in an informal setting and address the question, “How do you engage with theory in your research?” While our speakers will present work in their various areas of expertise, by centering theory, our conversations will transcend regional, chronological, and disciplinary divisions.
Cosponsored by the WHC, Center for Comparative Archaeology, and Classics department in collaboration with the Mediterranean Archaeology Club, these events are open to anyone with an interest in History, Anthropology, Classics, History of Art and Architecture, or related fields. Students and scholars interested in other regions of the world are encouraged to participate. Our goal as a group is to reflect on the current state of theory, contextualize Mediterranean studies within global archaeologies, and foster new directions in archaeology.
(Image by Alexandra P. Michalopoulou)
Spring Event Schedule
All Meetings will take place in the World History Center (3900 Posvar Hall)
- Friday, January 19th at 6 pm EST – Mason Schrader (Brown University) Moving Beyond Pity: Incorporating Disability Theory into the Bioarchaeology of the Roman World
- Friday, March 1st at 6 pm EST – Yusi Liu (Bryn Mawr College) Reflections on Collections Spaces
- Thursday, March 28 5:30pm EST – Aaron Brown (St. Norbert College) Practice and Embodied Knowledge in the Roman Kitchen: A Use Alteration Perspective
- Thursday, April 18th at 5:30pm EST – Jason Silvestri (University of California, Berkeley) "Egyptology, the Legacies of Colonialism, and the question of Ethnic Anarchy: Historical Case Studies from the Libyan Period (ca. 1070-715 BCE)"
Organizers:
Dr. Maggie Beeler
Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of Classics
Faculty Advisor, Mediterranean Art and Archaeology Club
Dr. Jesse Obert
Digital World History Postdoctoral Associate
World History Center, Department of History
Abby Dzwik
Major in Anthropology, Minor in Mediterranean Art and Archaeology
President, Mediterranean Art and Archaeology Club