Nothing easy about this one
I’m sitting in a semi-dark room, the electricity has just cut out, and there’s a slight chill in the air. I love being in MohenjoDaro (Sindh, Pakistan) in…
Author: Uzma Z. Rizvi
Mutual Aid in Archaeology: The Black Trowel Collective Microgrants
An interview with the Black Trowel Collective conducted during the Summer of 2021. June 22nd, 2021 marked a year for the Black Trowel Collective (BTC) microgrants program, and…
On The Culture of Harassment in Archaeology: An interview with Barbara L. Voss
[Content advisory: This article discusses harassment and discrimination in archaeology, including discussion of sexual assault.] On the morning of March 30, 2021, three articles on the culture of…
Decolonization is political action, not an act of historical circumstance.
As an archaeologist who is invested in the project of decolonization, I admit to being wary of its overuse within anthropological discourse to such a degree that it…
Falling in love with @MerriamWebster in the era of Trump (and his budget proposals)
I grew up with dictionaries. I have had my own dictionary for as long as I can remember. Even now, when I walk by one of those BIG…
On writing from elsewhere
My childhood imagination enhanced stories told to me by my elders of where we were from, and my history embraced the possibility of exciting seafarers, noble learned men…
The day after Leonard Cohen died.
Suddenly the night has grown colder. The god of love preparing to depart.* The chill of the 2016 US elections is still in my bones. Glued to any…
Thinking about Resonant Materials: Critical heritage meets contemporary art and design in the UAE
What makes something culturally relevant in a local context? Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the relationship between form, aesthetics, and belonging. In my own archaeological…
Situational Awareness
This morning I was taking notes on my laptop as an officer from the NYPD counter terrorism department’s SHIELD unit gave a room full of academic staff ‘active shooter’…
Ephemeral Layers: Coffee, Snapchat, and Violence
For decades, ephemeral layers at archaeological sites have been the bane of my existence. The moment I read, hear, or have to confront it at an excavation, my…
The 59th Street Bridge Song
Slow down, you move to fast You got to make the morning last (Paul Simon, Feelin’ groovy/The 59th St Bridge Song) I grew up with vinyl. My family was…