Critical Futures for Ancient Studies with Mathura Umachandran

Join us for the final episode of season 4, featuring Dr. Yannis Hamilakis, who talks to Chelsea and Melissa about his vision for a decolonial future for ancient archaeology. Listen in as Yannis tells us about how archaeology is a living, breathing practice that must recognize its relationship to the present and discusses his work with his students at Brown University as well as in the field in Greece.

In times of ongoing war, how can antiquities be protected from damage and looting? On today's episode, Dr. Isber Sabrine, the co-founder of Heritage for Peace, joins us to talk about his work preserving cultural heritage in the midst of armed conflict. Listen in as Isber discusses the importance of local communities in remembering their own pasts and the organizations working to give voice to those impacted by conflict.

How can archaeologists connect to the communities that share the cultural heritage they work on? Dr. Zena Kamash joins Chelsea and Melissa this week to discuss her work with Iraqi communities in the UK and in Iraq itself as she uses craftwork to bring the public together with cultural heritage and to foster wellbeing. Listen in as Zena tells us how she builds community through cautious intention and how outreach can be most effective on a personal scale.

How should we confront modern inequities in ancient Mediterranean studies? Is it possible to reenvision the place of Greece and Rome in the ancient world overall? In this week's episode, Dr. Mathura Umachandran joins Chelsea and Melissa to reimagine Classics through the lens of Critical Ancient World Studies (CAWS). Join us as we discuss the work of the CAWS collective in expanding our understanding of ancient studies and Mathura shares their vision of a future that embraces the complex truth of the place of "Classics" in the ancient and modern worlds.

What happens to people and antiquities when giant dams are built and lands are flooded? In this week's episode, Dr. William Carruthers joins Chelsea and Melissa to talk about the construction of dams on the Nile and their impact on Nubian communities as well as ancient sites along the river. Listen in as Dr. Carruthers explores what it means to move entire temple complexes and whole towns while preserving the tourist's view from the Nile.

Who counts as an archaeologist? Contrary to images from popular culture, excavation teams are a diverse group working to produce knowledge of the past. In this week's episode, Dr. Allison Mickel speaks with Chelsea and Melissa about the knowledge and labour that local communities contribute to archaeological digs in Jordan and Turkey. Listen in as Dr. Mickel talks about what expertise really means, how visiting archaeologists interact with the communities they work in, and how labour issues shape archaeological practices.

What makes Classics classic? How did members of elite British society use ancient Greek and Roman culture to shape their own identities on the Grand Tour? In this episode, Hardeep Dhindsa joins Chelsea and Melissa to discuss the relationship between classical culture and imperialism in the 18th and 19th centuries. Listen in to find out more about early archaeology, the scandalous red wall paintings of Pompeii, and how ancient culture was used to shape selective ideas of whiteness.

How did objects from around the globe and across millenia end up in major museums, far from their places of origin? What role has empire played in shaping modern museums? For this episode, Chelsea and Melissa Speak with Dan Hicks about how culture has been used to define and reinforce racial inequities through the collection and display of objects and human remains in cultural museums. Listen in as Dan explores the history of the cultural museum and how they might re-think their relationship to the spoils of empire.

The story of natural history museums and their relationship to ancient objects, but also people, is entangled with colonialism and capitalism. How should modern curators begin unravelling such a tangled web? In this episode, Dr. Lisa Saladino Haney joins Chelsea and Melissa to discuss her curatorial work with the Egyptian collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Listen in as Dr. Haney talks about connecting collections and source communities, respectful treatment of human remains in museum collections, and the patience required to address these issues with the care they require.

What happens when Egyptomania overshadows contemporary Egyptian people? This week Heba Abd el-Gawad joins Chelsea and Melissa to discuss the relationship between modern Egyptian communities and Egyptian antiquities in museums around the world. Listen in as we learn about the work of the Egypt's Dispersed Heritage: Views from Egypt project, how Egyptian voices are being amplified in conversations about decolonizing museums, and the ongoing challenges of that work.