Bringing history to the surface: How do historical investigations affect the ways we view out history?

Abstract

Bringing history to the surface: How do historical investigations affect the ways we view out history? Associate Professor of Anthropology, Dr Liza Gijanto, outlines how archaeological and historical investigations are vital in revealing important insights into society’s past. As a historical archaeologist, my research is collaborative and interdisciplinary by necessity. I have partnered with chemists, geologists, historians and architectural historians. I have worked with museum professionals and government officials in the United States and The Gambia. And while research was my main focus as a graduate student to complete a Master’s and ultimately PhD, the most important aspect of all projects I have worked on during that time and since is the public benefit that can arise from archaeological research, particularly from projects that involve a range of professionals and stakeholders. The field of historical anthropology is in a privileged, though often uncomfortable, position that addresses many of the inequities in the present.