Department Information
World Archaeological Congress honors UF Archaeologist Peter Schmidt
Peter Schmidt, University of Florida anthropologist, was honored by the World Archaeological Congress (WAC) in Kyoto August 30 at a special plenary session in Kyoto, Japan. He was awarded the prestigious Peter Ucko Memorial Award. He was also selected to give the Peter Ucko Memorial Lecture, an additional honor.
The President of WAC, Koji Mizoguchi, when conferring the award, said:
“I am honored and privileged to announce that the Peter Ucko Memorial Award recipient at WAC-8 Kyoto 2016 is Professor Peter Schmidt, Professor of Anthropology, University of Florida.
Peter Schmidt embodies the cause of WAC by dedicating himself to the welfare of archaeology in Africa and the decolonization of African Archaeology for nearly five decades. After sixteen years of research in Tanzania on indigenous knowledge and innovative iron technology, he turned in 1985 to building the first department of archaeology in East Africa, now the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam. After nearly a decade of university administration as Director of African Studies at the University of Florida, he went back to Africa again, this time in Eritrea. There he constructed an interdisciplinary teaching and research program in anthropology, geography, and archaeology, training a number of undergraduates at the equivalent of the MA level, with many of them subsequently going on for higher degrees. In between these events he worked closely with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Makerere University, Uganda, to establish a Human Rights and Peace Centre at Makerere in Kampala, Uganda.
These are indeed tremendous services to the furtherance of basic human rights in Africa, and it is truly remarkable that this has been achieved through archaeology and archaeology-related practices, in terms of cutting-edge research and education. His achievements show us it is indeed possible for us archaeologists to do something good to the world, and encourage us to follow him.
Upcoming events
An Introduction to the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS)
9/16/2016
Elizabeth Bollwerk, Ph.D. & Lynsey Bates, Ph.D.
The Thomas Jefferson Foundation/Monticello
The Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS) is a Web-based initiative designed to foster inter-site, comparative archaeological research on slavery throughout the Chesapeake, the Carolinas, and the Caribbean. The project’s goal is to help scholars from different disciplines use archaeological evidence to advance our historical understanding of the slave-based society that evolved in the Atlantic World during the colonial and ante-bellum periods. This talk will provide an introduction to DAACS, outline our collaboration with the Historical Archaeology division of the Florida Museum of Natural History, and demonstrate how we are analyzing DAACS data to reconsider the role of Colonoware ceramics excavated from enslaved settlements in Virginia and the South Carolina.
Faculty Events: UF Library Walking Tour .
Please join us on Friday September 16th for a walking tour of what’s new at the UF Libraries.
Join Sara Gonzalez and Suzanne Stapleton for a walking tour of some of the exciting new resources that are available to students. We’ll meet at the Scott Nygren Scholars Studio (room 212) on the second floor of Library West where we’ll start our tour with the new “One Button Recording Studio.” We’ll continue to Marston Science Library for a demonstration of the 3d printing studio
This is a face to face walking tour which will start at Library West and then go to Marston Science Library.
- Friday September 16th
- 3:00-4:00 p.m.
- Library West, Room 212
Face-to-face Beyond the Podium sessions are held on the third Friday of each month. Join the online sessions on the second Friday of each month.
FASA Colloquium
Dr. Bertin M. Louis, Jr. from the University of Tennessee
Friday, September 23rd at 2:00 pm in Turlington 1208
MY SOUL IS IN HAITI: AN ANTHROPOLOGIST’S STUDY OF PROTESTANT CULTURE
Historically, the majority of Haitians have long practiced Catholicism or Vodou. However, Protestant forms of Christianity now flourish both in Haiti and beyond. In the Bahamas, where approximately one in five people are now Haitian-born or Haitian-descended, Protestantism has become the majority religion for immigrant Haitians.
In his talk about My Soul Is in Haiti: Protestantism in the Haitian Diaspora of the Bahamas (New York University Press 2015), Dr. Bertin M. Louis, Jr., Vice Chair of Africana Studies and Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Africana Studies at The University of Tennessee, will discuss the research he conducted in the United States, Haiti, and the Bahamas that led to the publication of this ground-breaking text.
Specifically, he will analyze why Protestantism has appealed to the Haitian diaspora community in the Bahamas. His talk will also illustrate how devout Haitian Protestant migrants in the Bahamas use their religious identities to ground themselves in a place that is hostile to them as migrants. The presentation also uncovers how their religious faith ties in to their belief in the need to “save” their homeland, as they reimagine Haiti politically and morally as a Protestant Christian nation.
Please join us for refreshments and a Q&A session after the talk. —– FASA
Additional Items of Interest
International Center’s faculty fellowship program for international research now accepting applications for 2016-2017
The International Center’s Office for Global Research Engagement is accepting applications from junior faculty (faculty within the first 10 years of their academic career) for the Global Fellows Program. Please share the announcement regarding the Global Fellows Program below with your faculty:
The Global Fellows Program assists faculty in developing or advancing an international research agenda. The Global Fellows Program will provide support for faculty with:
- One-on-one consultations with the Office for Global Research Engagement (OGRE) staff for support with international proposal development
- Seed funding up to $4,000 to cover expenses for an international trip
- Honoria of $1,000 for a Faculty Mentor within the same field of study
- Access to a workshop series hosted by OGRE on proposal preparation and more
- Opportunities for networking and building partnerships
Two information sessions will be held at the International Center (Large Conference Room)
September 28th at 4:00 pm
September 29th at 10:00 am
Applications for the 2016-2017 cohort are due by 3pm Thursday, October 20, 2016. For complete details and application form, please visit http://ufic.ufl.edu/OGRE/GlobalFellowsProgram.html.
CHPS 2016-2017 Speaker Series
http://www.humanities.ufl.edu/calendar-2016-17-Speaker-Series.html
WG: Max Planck postdoctoral researcher positions
The newly-established Department for Archaeology at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany is offering up to 4 post-doctoral positions:
- Postdoctoral Researcher – Archaeology, Central and Eastern Asia
- Postdoctoral Researcher – Archaeology, Eastern Africa
- Postdoctoral Researcher – Mapping Eurasian Dispersal and Trade Routes
- Postdoctoral Researcher – Environmental Drilling in Arabia
Deadline for applications is November 1, 2016 (except Oct. 4, 2016 for Environmental Drilling in Arabia).
Latin America Archaeologist Position at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa seeks a full-time tenure track Latin American archaeologist to begin Fall 2017. PhD required at the time of appointment. See attached for details or go to https://facultyjobs.ua.edu/postings/39504
2016 Field and Fork Faculty Fellows Program
The 2016 Field and Fork Faculty Fellows Program, gives faculty a stipend to develop a course relevant to sustainable agriculture with an experiential learning component. More information and the application can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2MF5LPQ
Grad Student Information Request
My name is Ricardo Alcala and I am the President of Mexicans in Gainesville (MIG). MIG is a graduate student organization in the University of Florida focused on integrating Mexican students into the academic life at UF.
MIG is currently ongoing a process of reorganization. As part of this process, we are looking to attract new and more diverse members to our organization to help us redefine our vision and mission for the following years. We are requesting your help to achieve this goal; you can assist us by forwarding this message to those graduate students and faculty members in your Department that are Mexican, or from any other nationality but may enjoy participating in an organization like MIG. Graduate students and faculty members interested in learning more about MIG can contact me at mig.uf.mx@gmail.com and I will be happy to provide more information about our organization and how to get involved.
Thank you so much for your attention to this request. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to bringing new life to MIG with the collaboration of your enthusiastic graduate students and faculty.
Kind regards,
Ricardo I. Alcala
President
Mexicans in Gainesville Grad Student Organization