Tuesdays (x2) during term time, 4 - 5pm
Seminar room, Institute of Archaeology, 36 Beaumont St
Convenor 2021/22 Dr Alexander Geurds & Guopeng Chen (alexander.geurds@arch.ox.ac.uk & guopeng.chen@arch.ox.ac.uk)
This Seminar Series introduces the archaeological research on the Americas, currently done in the UK and parts of continental Europe. It will feature lectures on recent advances in archaeological work and illustrate the close links to ethnography and art history. Highlighted also are the contemporary cultural settings in which archaeology is conducted and in which heritage is mobilised throughout the Americas, as Americanist archaeology often necessitates awareness of matters of identity in the present as well as in the past. Starting around 16,000 cal BP, human presence in the Americas is young compared to most other world regions, but modern scholarly research stretches back to the middle of the 19th century, archaeology and museum collections are spread across the UK (including Oxford) and other parts of Europe.
This Seminar Series provides an insight into the study of prehistory in the Americas, aimed at students and staff, and seeks to enable opportunities for comparative research with other archaeological expertise in Oxford as well as drawing in Oxford-based scholars who study contemporary indigenous groups in the Americas.