The IAW was founded as the primary point of substantive intellectual connection between archaeologists in the divisions of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Chicago. The workshop allows for graduate students, faculty members and special guests to present their work as well as research plans to a community which could provide a deeply grounded and theoretically informed set of responses and feedback.

Historically, archaeological research has itself been divided amongst different academic disciplines, with corresponding variations in intellectual traditions and approaches. It has always been the primary object of the IAW to bridge these divisions and to foster a healthy, informed dialogue on the aspects of method and theory that cut across the field’s diverse disciplinary locations. The workshop brings together faculty and students from Anthropology and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, forging an archaeological community that is more than the sum of its parts. In addition, the workshop has succeeded in its ambition to draw on members of other interested departments and committees such as Classics, African Studies, History, East Asian  and South Asian Studies, as well as Geographical Studies.

In casting archaeology into discussions that move broadly across the Social Sciences and the Humanities, we hope to reaffirm the interdisciplinary perspective that lies at the heart of archaeological research.

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Unless otherwise stated, the Interdisciplinary Archaeology Workshop meets on Wednesdays at 3:30 pm. In-person meetings will be held in the LaSalle Banks Room in the OI unless otherwise noted.

Persons with disability who believe they may need assistance, please contact workshop coordinators.