All admitted students receive six years’ guaranteed funding. Fee waivers for applying are available by application at: http://tinyurl.com/4xzn3bt5.
Applications to Ph.D. programs at Brown University are submitted to, and managed through, the Graduate School. For general information on the process of applying and to access the online application system, explore the Application Information section of the Graduate School website. The specific requirements for applications to Archaeology and the Ancient World can be viewed on the Graduate School’s program page.
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
Abstract deadline: 31 January 2023
Mediterranean Archaeology sits at an often complex intersection of the fields of Archaeology, Classics, Anthropology, History, and Art History. While several of these fields, in particular Classics and Anthropology have begun periods of significant critical self-reflection that explicitly question their present and future, Mediterranean Archaeology is doing so in a more fragmented manner. This lack of coherence may perhaps be ascribed to institutional fragmentation, in particular in US academia, but it can also be traced to its intricate location at the intersection of multiple academic traditions. As a result, Mediterranean archaeology has struggled to identify its own priorities and find its own voice for challenging traditional narratives and approaches and, as a result, risks being subsumed by adjacent disciplines with louder voices, despite many possible valuable contributions.
In light of these challenges, and especially considering the rapid pace of developments in archaeological methods and theory, the time is ripe to consider both the state of our field at this moment in time and to discuss where it can and should go in the future. Nearly every facet of Mediterranean Archaeology may be questioned and, indeed, we must do so in order to guarantee the continued relevance of our subject in both the ancient and modern worlds.
Brown University’s Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World will host a conference titled State of the Field 2023: Archaeologies of the Mediterraneanon April 14-15, 2023. This meeting builds on a tradition of ‘State of the Field’ workshops hosted by the Joukowsky Institute since 2011 that reflect upon current trends in archaeological practice. This year’s conference discusses the place of Mediterranean Archaeology in the modern world in North America, Europe and the Mediterranean. We intend to examine academic traditions and assumptions as well as contemporary institutional and political structures that frame our theoretical and methodological engagement with the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean and adjacent regions in order to ensure that the field maintains relevance into the future.
We invite submissions for papers of approximately 20 minutes by sending an abstract of no more than 350 words to [email protected] by 31 January 2023. We will cover travel expenses and accommodation for speakers, and especially encourage submissions from early-career researchers.
Suggested themes can include, but are not limited to:
● Diversity – How has the field fared in diversifying its participants at the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty levels? This can include topics of gender, class, race and any other background. Have we succeeded in teaching and researching more diverse subjects that better account for ancient realities? What remains to be done?
● Definitions – How do we define our field of study? What is its geography, chronology, and cultural scope? What subjects should we include, and what theories and methods should be used? How do we fit into current academic and university structures? Why does US academia not have Archaeology departments anymore? What are the consequences of this departmental division and what can we do about it? What do we have in common with other fields, and what is unique about our own?
● Relationships – How do we relate to non-academic structures, especially State-run or commercial (i.e., rescue or preventative) archaeology? What role do foreign schools and institutions serve in forming these relationships? How do we engage responsibly with local communities in the places where we conduct fieldwork?
● Historiography – How have the last two centuries (or more) of archaeological practice shaped the modern field, and should they be maintained or discarded? Have we done enough to examine and change the colonial foundations of the discipline? What can we do better?
● Responsibilities – How do we communicate the significance of our field to the public, both at home and abroad? What role does public archaeology play in our field? How has pedagogy changed, and how might it change further? What role do museums and archaeological parks play in our public relationships? How should items and exhibits be displayed?
● Narratives – How has our field shaped knowledge of the past? Are current practices changing narratives? What existing narratives remain to be challenged?
—- Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World Brown University | Box 1837 | Rhode Island Hall | 60 George Street | Providence, RI 02912 t: (401) 863-3188 | f: (401) 863-9423 | e: [email protected] | w: http://www.brown.edu/go/archaeology
Felipe Rojas, Associate Professor of Archaeology and Assyriology, has just published a new coedited book now available for download from the website of the Museo Archaeologico (MUSA), in Bogata.
Otros pasados: ontologías alternativas y el estudio de lo que ha sidodeals with clashes, conflicts, and convergences in the many ways humans have used material remains to explore and explain their pasts. Can a living bird be an archaeological trace? How do endangered languages provide insight into the historical and archaeological imagination? Why was a Mesopotamian queen connected to material remains in both Late Antique Armenia and early Colonial Mexico? This book brings together archaeologists, anthropologists, and art historians to tackle questions about what the past is and has been in places as diverse as Inca Peru, Renaissance Italy, and contemporary Colombia.
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
Keynote Panelists: Logan Kistler, Smithsonian Institution Elizabeth Matisoo-Smith, University of Otago Christina Warinner, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the University of Oklahoma
Abstract Deadline: October 15, 2018
Ancient DNA has revolutionized archaeology and our understanding of human prehistory. Its insights have revealed hominins unknown from the fossil record, clarified global human migrations, and transformed how we understand plant and animal domestication processes. Despite these discoveries, many questions remain about how to interpret ancient DNA results and how to study the relationships between genes and culture:
How can we ensure that genetic results are interpreted within appropriate archaeological and anthropological frameworks?
How can we incorporate innovative paleogenetic methods into archaeological fieldwork and research design?
What are the ethical considerations of working with samples from archaeological contexts?
As laboratory and analytical methods continue to improve, the ancient DNA revolution is poised to expand even further within archaeology. At this time of innovation and possibility it is critical to assess the current trajectory and future of the discipline: the State of the Field.
Brown University’s Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World will host a conference titled State of the Field 2019: The Ancient DNA Revolution in Archaeology on February 22-24, 2019. Our gathering builds on a tradition of “State of the Field” workshops hosted by the Joukowsky Institute to reflect upon trends in archaeological research. This year’s conference aims to address the many issues surrounding the development and uses of ancient DNA methods around the world and to promote discussion between archaeologists, anthropologists, and geneticists in order to examine new opportunities and challenges for ancient DNA research in archaeology.
To submit a proposal for a paper of approximately 20 minutes or a poster, please send an abstract of 350 words or less to [email protected] by October 15, 2018. We will offer travel awards to multiple attendees, and encourage submissions from early-career scholars.
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
Genetic and archaeological perspectives on gene-culture co-evolution (e.g., lactase persistence and dairying in Neolithic Europe, high altitude adaptation and the peopling of the Tibetan Plateau, etc.)
Using ancient DNA to understand migration, exchange, and cross-cultural connections
Ancient DNA from plants and animals
Unconventional sources of ancient DNA data (e.g., environmental DNA in soils for identifying flora and fauna that do not preserve in the zooarchaeological or archaeobotanical record, dental calculus as a source of aDNA data on the oral microbiome, etc.)
Defining and naming ancient populations
Ethical considerations in aDNA research and involving descendant communities
Brown University’s Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World invites applications for an assistant professor of Roman archaeology, whose research focuses on any region of the Mediterranean and/or Near East. We seek exceptional junior scholars who augment or complement the present strengths and diversity of our community at Brown University, and who enhance our commitment to inclusive education and research.
Applications are welcome from candidates who have demonstrated a capacity for innovative research and cross-disciplinary thinking in the field of Roman archaeology. Candidates must have an outstanding record of scholarly achievement, as well as a proven record of publication, outreach, and service commensurate with their career stage. Excellence in, and commitment to, undergraduate and graduate teaching are essential. We particularly value active involvement and leading roles in ongoing fieldwork projects.
All candidates should submit a letter of application and curriculum vitae by October 1, 2018. Applicants should provide the names of three referees with up-to-date contact information (including email, if possible); referees will be contacted directly by the Search Committee. The Search Committee may also contact candidates to request additional materials, such as course descriptions or writing samples. Applications received by October 1, 2018 will receive full consideration, but the search will remain open until the position is closed or filled.
Please submit application materials online at apply.interfolio.com/51716. There is no need to provide hard copies of application materials for those that have already been submitted electronically.
For further information:
Professor Peter van Dommelen
Chair, Search Committee
Director, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912 [email protected]
Brown University is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic global community; as an EEO/AA employer, Brown considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, gender, race, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
News and announcements from the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology at Brown University
