Race and historical archaeology addressed
March 13, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- Using archaeology to help understand the racial categories that evolved in America will be the topic explored by a scholar visiting Western Michigan University Monday and Tuesday, March 26 and 27.
Dr. Robert Paynter, professor of anthropology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, will discuss "Race and the Historical Archaeology of Color Lines" from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, March 26, in Room 1718 of Wood Hall. He will be on campus as part of WMU's Visiting Scholars and Artists Program. His lecture is free and open to the public.
Paynter is a recognized authority on the historical archaeology of New England and the role archaeology can play in understanding the construction of racial categories in the United States. He explored the latter topic in his most recent book "Lines that Divide: Historical Archaeologies of Race, Class and Gender." His current research includes an archaeological investigation of NAACP founder W.E.B. DuBois' boyhood home in Great Barrington, Mass. He is also directing a long-term archaeology project at Historic Deerfield, Mass.
While here, Paynter will also give a number of other presentations to WMU faculty and students.
The Visiting Scholars and Artists Program at WMU was established in 1960 and has supported more than 500 visits by scholars and artists representing more than 65 academic disciplines. The chairperson of the committee that oversees the program is Dr. James M. Hillenbrand, WMU professor of speech pathology and audiology.
Paynter's visit is sponsored by WMU's Department of Anthropology and American Studies Program. For more information, contact Dr. Michael Nassaney, WMU associate professor of anthropology, at (616) 387-3981.
Media contact: Marie Lee, 616 387-8400, marie.lee@wmich.edu