Reves Center for International Studies Events
[PAST EVENT] Anthropology Homecoming Talk: "The Invisible Experts of Middle Eastern Archaeology"
Location
Zoom
Archaeology in the Middle East has involved, for more than 200 years, foreign-led excavations hiring teams of site workers from the local communities in the region. These locally-hired laborers have carried out the bulk of the shoveling, sifting, and dirt-hauling for most of the archaeological work in the region, but rarely appear in publications or even excavation archives. Their expertise and their perspectives on Middle Eastern archaeology have largely disappeared. But through a combination of ethnographic work, social network analysis, and emancipatory photography, Dr. Mickel will present some ways of seeing the often-invisible knowledge that local laborers possess about the archaeological work which has relied on them for so long. These strategies also suggest how anthropologist might adjust excavation methods to be more inclusive, and therefore more produce a more accurate and thorough archaeological record.
Please email [[jdcarlson]] for Zoom link.
Contact
[[jdcarlson]]