Small Wins, High Stakes: Wicked Problems for Contemporary Archaeologists - Professor John Schofield

ASHA is delighted to present this lecture with Professor John Schofield on 2 July at 12pm, hosted at the University of Queensland and online.

Small Wins, High Stakes: Wicked Problems for Contemporary Archaeologists

The world is beset by problems that seem impossible to solve, climate change, environmental pollution, social injustice, threats to health and wellbeing. These 'wicked problems' have many interdependent causes and no obvious solutions. In this lecture, I'll explore how archaeologies of the contemporary world can help.

Contemporary archaeology involves the archaeological investigation of the supposedly familiar world, and that world, it turns out, is where the most urgent questions are being asked. Drawing on my recent book, the idea for which first took shape here at UQ in 2019, I'll argue that by working creatively across disciplines, archaeologists have a real and distinct opportunity to find 'small wins' in the face of very large challenges. I'll illustrate this through recent fieldwork in Greenland, the UK, South America, and Australia, in collaboration with researchers in social anthropology, health sciences, social work, and ecology.

Far from being a twittish, pointless endeavour, contemporary archaeology can operationalise hope, and deliver meaningful impact in the public good.

John Schofield is Professor in Archaeology at the University of York, where he researches archaeologies of the contemporary world and heritage studies. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Corresponding Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, and is currently in Australia working on the ARC-funded Nuclear Nation project. John delivered the Jay Hall lecture at UQ in 2018.