0/26/18 Archaeology: A conversation of material “stuff,” culture and humans

Topic: Anthropology, Archaeology, Material Culture
Segment: D Report
Participants: Claudia Garcia Des- Laurier PhD, Associate Professor Anthropology
Cal Poly Pomona University
Broadcast Air Date: 10/26/18
Time: 5:15 PM (PST)
Station: KUCR 88.3 FM Riverside, CA
KUCR station page: http://www.kucr.org
Archive pages: https://soundcloud.com/stoppretending, http://www.dreport.org

Send comments about this segment to: comments@dreport.org
Segment produced in KUCR, the radio station of the University California in Riverside.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the sole responsibility of the respective speakers and do not represent the endorsed position of the UC Regents, UC Riverside or KUCR.

Discussion Topics:
– What is the role of anthropology in society and our local communities?
-How does art history relate to anthropology?
-How does anthropology add to the understanding of the art of Teotihuacan?
– Is anthropology a field that objectifies and creates an exotic “other?”
– How can anthropology add to the understanding of education systems and city life in Los Angeles?
– Why study anthropology?
– What can you do with an anthropology degree?
– What are the popular assumptions of anthropology?
– How does Hollywood represent archaeology?
– What are the ties between Anthropology and colonialism?
-How does anthropology promote tolerance and understanding among people?
-What are the anthropology tools available for engaging with a diverse world without relying on stereotypes?
– How do we use material culture?
-Have you read Laurie Wilson’s book, Strung out on Archaeology?
– What is the archaeology of Burning Man?
– How does the city of Detroit offer us insight into the process abandonment through an archaeological material lens?
-What are the multiple ways to study humanity?
– How does the material context of being human become evident in our daily lives?
– Is the fictional character a good recruitment in the field of archaeology?
-Why do people accept explanations of ancient aliens for abandonment of ancient cities in pseudo- archaeology?
– How do archaeologists study space and time?
– What are examples of climate refugees?
– How does looking into past, give us ideas of how to address the present?
– How do we place value on material items and people’s history into who they are?
– Archaeology can help us understand how we build relationships with our stuff?
– Have we left a giant global midden in the Pacific Ocean?
– How do we use the material culture to make sense of what it means to be human?
-What was the connection between Teotihuacan in central Mexico and Los Horcones Chiapas in southern Mexico ?
– What are the ways that people exchange their respective ideas, practices and religion?
-If archaeology studies the past, how does it limit exporting the present into the past?
-What are the indigenous voices within the field of archaeology?
-How do we recognize that not all voices are heard from the past?
-Can archeology offer tools to support representation of different communities absent from the dominant historical record?
– The archaeology of slave quarters can provide insights into how enslaved people preserved and transmitted their own culture.
-Members from the previously studied groups are entering the anthropological group in order to speak for themselves.
– What are new directions in the field of archaeology?
– How will anthropology diversify as discipline?
– More voices make better research?
-What is Archaeo-astronomy?
-How does anthropology access and value indigenous knowledge?