Workshop - Unofficial Diplomats: East Mediterranean Archaeologists and Britain’s Imperial Project For centuries, archaeology has been facilitated by both official and unofficial forms of colonialism, an indelible fact whose consequences continue to be grappled with in historical narratives of the past. The British Empire, once spanning the globe, was a critical player in establishing these dynamics. While different parts of the Mediterranean had different colonial experiences with the British Empire, it was a crucial conduit to the East, and was therefore of strategic importance to the imperial government. British interests were pursued through a combination of hard and soft power politics. Archaeologists working in the East Mediterranean, simultaneously able to speak to both colonial and nationalist ideologies, therefore became critical actors in the theatre of imperial administration. This workshop, to take place in December 2023 at the University of Edinburgh, will explore the role archaeologists came to embrace as unofficial diplomats in the Near East, exploring the relationship between archaeologists and British colonialism between c. 1800 and 1947, when the British Raj in India finally came to an end with the Partition of India. While recent studies have demonstrated the relationship between archaeological missions and the European ideology of imperial expansion and the results this has had on cultural heritage, there has been little focus on the individual amateurs and academics conducting the excavations. These were individuals acting as intermediaries between imperial and local governments, negotiating access to sites, payments to workers and officials, the fates of discovered artefacts, and, ultimately, the narratives of regional histories. While the West has tended to treat these early archaeological explorers as romantic figures in noble pursuit of ‘truth’ and the preservation of the past, this has masked the use of these excavations as pretexts for expanding political influence. This is also not to say archaeologists were unwitting accomplices to these policies. In reality, there was a spectrum of self-interest and web of negotiation that motivated many excavations. Recognising that the nature of archaeological research responded to specific political and colonial contexts, participants will be encouraged to adopt a multifaceted methodological approach to publications of imperial-era archaeological excavations, private and administrative correspondence, and material culture acquired by heritage institutions during the period in question. This workshop will ultimately advance the discourse of how to untangle the dynamics between the British government and the academe by analysing the mechanisms by which archaeologists became integral to the perpetuation of Britain’s imperial project. Registration Registration is free via Eventbrite (see link). This event will also be available online via Zoom. If you are interested in joining online, please email: Jessica.Varsallona@ed.ac.uk Participants Alessandro Carabia (Birmingham) Mark Jackson (Newcastle) Anna Kelley (St Andrews) Lenia Kouneni (St Andrews) Artemis Papatheodorou (Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece, Harvard University) Lucia Patrizio Gunning (UCL) Daniel Reynolds (Birmingham) Henry Stead (St Andrews) Jessica Varsallona (Edinburgh) Dec 12 2023 09.00 - 18.00 Workshop - Unofficial Diplomats: East Mediterranean Archaeologists and Britain’s Imperial Project This workshop will explore the role archaeologists came to embrace as unofficial diplomats in the Near East, exploring the relationship between archaeologists and British colonialism between c. 1800 and 1947. Hybrid. School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Meadows Lecture Theatre, Doorway 4, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG Find the venue Register
Workshop - Unofficial Diplomats: East Mediterranean Archaeologists and Britain’s Imperial Project For centuries, archaeology has been facilitated by both official and unofficial forms of colonialism, an indelible fact whose consequences continue to be grappled with in historical narratives of the past. The British Empire, once spanning the globe, was a critical player in establishing these dynamics. While different parts of the Mediterranean had different colonial experiences with the British Empire, it was a crucial conduit to the East, and was therefore of strategic importance to the imperial government. British interests were pursued through a combination of hard and soft power politics. Archaeologists working in the East Mediterranean, simultaneously able to speak to both colonial and nationalist ideologies, therefore became critical actors in the theatre of imperial administration. This workshop, to take place in December 2023 at the University of Edinburgh, will explore the role archaeologists came to embrace as unofficial diplomats in the Near East, exploring the relationship between archaeologists and British colonialism between c. 1800 and 1947, when the British Raj in India finally came to an end with the Partition of India. While recent studies have demonstrated the relationship between archaeological missions and the European ideology of imperial expansion and the results this has had on cultural heritage, there has been little focus on the individual amateurs and academics conducting the excavations. These were individuals acting as intermediaries between imperial and local governments, negotiating access to sites, payments to workers and officials, the fates of discovered artefacts, and, ultimately, the narratives of regional histories. While the West has tended to treat these early archaeological explorers as romantic figures in noble pursuit of ‘truth’ and the preservation of the past, this has masked the use of these excavations as pretexts for expanding political influence. This is also not to say archaeologists were unwitting accomplices to these policies. In reality, there was a spectrum of self-interest and web of negotiation that motivated many excavations. Recognising that the nature of archaeological research responded to specific political and colonial contexts, participants will be encouraged to adopt a multifaceted methodological approach to publications of imperial-era archaeological excavations, private and administrative correspondence, and material culture acquired by heritage institutions during the period in question. This workshop will ultimately advance the discourse of how to untangle the dynamics between the British government and the academe by analysing the mechanisms by which archaeologists became integral to the perpetuation of Britain’s imperial project. Registration Registration is free via Eventbrite (see link). This event will also be available online via Zoom. If you are interested in joining online, please email: Jessica.Varsallona@ed.ac.uk Participants Alessandro Carabia (Birmingham) Mark Jackson (Newcastle) Anna Kelley (St Andrews) Lenia Kouneni (St Andrews) Artemis Papatheodorou (Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece, Harvard University) Lucia Patrizio Gunning (UCL) Daniel Reynolds (Birmingham) Henry Stead (St Andrews) Jessica Varsallona (Edinburgh) Dec 12 2023 09.00 - 18.00 Workshop - Unofficial Diplomats: East Mediterranean Archaeologists and Britain’s Imperial Project This workshop will explore the role archaeologists came to embrace as unofficial diplomats in the Near East, exploring the relationship between archaeologists and British colonialism between c. 1800 and 1947. Hybrid. School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Meadows Lecture Theatre, Doorway 4, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG Find the venue Register
Dec 12 2023 09.00 - 18.00 Workshop - Unofficial Diplomats: East Mediterranean Archaeologists and Britain’s Imperial Project This workshop will explore the role archaeologists came to embrace as unofficial diplomats in the Near East, exploring the relationship between archaeologists and British colonialism between c. 1800 and 1947. Hybrid.
