Is Archaeology Relevant In the Modern World?

Applying Knowledge of the Past to Address Contemporary Social Problems.

Associate Professor Ian Barber from the University of Otago considers how archaeology, the study of the material remains of the human past, can be applied to critique some of the most pressing problems of contemporary society.

Focusing on the application of archaeological knowledge to help understand the causes of global inequality and political violence, Ian proposes that archaeological research can counter common misconceptions about social, political and economic life in the human past, as well as the misuse of material archaeological evidence for political ends.

His talk will highlight the values of a social archaeology that can draw on science and anthropological theory to address seemingly intractable social problems in novel ways.