Dr. Robin will address the ways in which her
research provides us with lessons about world issues today
Why does archaeology matter? How can studying the distant
past in faraway places be relevant to understanding and improving modern communities
and perhaps, entire societies? It is a common response of people to say that
they are taking an introductory anthropology course, attending an archaeological
talk, or reading an archaeology book, be-cause the subject sounds interesting.
Indeed, the material often turns out to be nothing short of fascinating, but an
even greater outcome is when archaeologists inform us of how their
findings can be used to make a difference in the modern world!
So
get ready for this February’s CAS talk when guest speaker, Dr. Cynthia Robin,
discusses her re-cent research on the 2000-year history (ca. 800 B.C. – A.D.
1200) of the ancient Maya farming com-munity of Chan, in Belize. Dr. Robin will address the ways in
which her research provides us with lessons about world issues today,
particularly those related to social and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Robin’s
primary re-search interests in the ancient Maya world reach far beyond the
scope of elite writing systems and super structures. She has instead chosen to
study how seemingly ordinary people in a small farming community resiliently
thrived in their tropical rain-forest environment over an exceptionally long
period of time and in a surprisingly consistent manner. And amazingly, how this
small community phenomenon occurred vis-à-vis with a few large neighboring Maya
ceremonial centers whose wealth and power not only fluctuated, but also ended
in early collapse.
Thus, this
February we have an opportunity to learn about the archaeological evidence that
demonstrates how a community, distant to us in time and space, had established
a fairly equitable distribution of goods, relative consistency in good health,
and an inclusive community focus on rituals and politics that involved its
everyday residents.
Dr. Cynthia Robin is professor of anthropology
at Northwestern University and an assistant curator at the Field Museum in
Chicago.
She has
recently published two insightful books about her Chan re-search: “Everyday
Life Matters: Maya Farmers at Chan” (2013) and “Chan: An Ancient Maya Farming
Community” (2012). Robin is the author of five books and over thirty articles.
Among several other awards, major grant funding institutions such as the
National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the
National Geographic Society have supported her scholarly research.
The CAS
warmly welcomes Dr. Cynthia Robin to our next meeting, which is to be held at
the Evanston Public Library on February 23rd. And we warmly welcome you! Come
join us for coffee, churros, and an exciting discussion. And tell a friend
about this free event!
By Jeanne Jesernik
