"Cultural Heritage: Why Do We Care?"
"Cultural Heritage: Why Do We Care?"
Students of all disciplines, including political science, international relations and foreign affairs, are invited to a forum/roundtable discussion with archaeology students and professors about why cultural heritage matters in today’s world.
We will begin with brief statements from a panel of experts, including Justine Benanty (Co-Founder of "The ArchaeoVenturers Project"), Alex Nagel (Research Associate, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution), Katie A. Paul (Director of Programs and Conflict Heritage Researcher, The George Washington University), Sandra Scham (Vice President, DC-AIA), and Matthew Suriano (Assistant Professor of New Eastern Languages and Cultures, University of Maryland).
After presentations by the panelists, the students will be divided into mixed groups and will be asked to deliberate on several topics: 1) financing of terrorist organizations through sales of artifacts; 2) constructions of the past that exclude and disenfranchise minority populations; 3) ways to preserve the past that benefit present communities; 4) how cultural heritage is used and abused in present politics; and 5) why students of politics and international and foreign affairs should know about and understand the meaning of cultural heritage to peoples in other countries.
At the conclusion of the discussion, there will be free pizza and soft drinks for all.
The event is free, but we ask that participants register in advance online in order to give us an accurate head count. You can find the link to register at www.dcaia.org/iaday. This event is co-sponsored by the Washington DC Society of the Archaeological Institute of America in celebration of International Archaeology Day.