Three Things Thursday: ASOR, Sun Ra, and Hope

When this post goes live, I’ll probably be doing committee work at the annual American Schools of Oversees Research meeting. I’m trying to keep on my blogging routine, but it’s a bit of a challenge. As a kind of It feels like a good time for a short, “Three Things Thursday”:

Thing the First

ASOR is the largest gathering of archaeologists who study the ancient Near East, and there is no doubt that the current situation in Israel and Gaza will hang heavy over the meeting. Like many attendees, I’m apprehensive about things, but also realize that my anxiety is nothing compared to the violence and suffering in the Middle East today. 

Despite this dreadful backdrop, there will be new ideas, knowledge, and collegiality. I’m excited to spend time in the three panels on the archaeology of Cyprus today and disappointed that I’ll miss Tom Landvatter and Brandon Olson’s report on their work at Pyla-Vigla. I’m also intrigued to hear Nassos Papalexandrou’s ongoing work at Marion (Arsinoe/Polis) and Pamela Gabers work on Hellenistic and Early Roman Idalion. 

There are panels on Late Antique ceramic building material, digital archaeology, and Islamic society (including an intriguing paper by Asa Eger titled “Global Interaction in the Late 19th/early 20th Century Bosnian Coastal Town of Caesarea” which I might have to miss for a meeting [of course]). 

The program is here and I’m looking forward to reporting back next week.

Thing the Second

I’m very excited to announce that The Association for Recorded Sound Collections has recognized Rodger Coleman’s Sun Ra Sundays with a certificate of merit in the category of Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz Music.

My press, The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota, published the book last year and it has become a “best seller” (by the modest standards of my press). More than that, it offers the best window into the magical (and tangled) discography of Sun Ra. 

I’m so happy for the author, the books editor, Sam Byrd, and everyone who has downloaded a free copy of the book (or grabbed a paper copy on Amazon). Get your copy here.

Thing the Third

I have to admit that I’m struggling a bit to feel hopeful about the world these days and that shapes how I think about my discipline of archaeology (especially Mediterranean archaeology). Fortunately, I have some clever friends who are working to convince not only grumpy folks like me, but archaeologists of all stripes that the work we’re doing matters.

Check out their recent article in American Anthropologist: “Archaeology in 2022: Counter-myths for Hopeful Futures.“

I love the idea of writing counter-myths and think that, in some ways, these counter-myths are why we have to do more as a discipline to reclaim pseudoarchaeology from problematic voices who want to turn it into a platform for racism, colonialism, nationalism, and profit. Pseudoarchaeology represents on of the most powerful sources of counter-myths in our discipline and while this paper doesn’t explore their potential explicitly, it does encourage us to think critically about how myth making (and counter-myths) create the foundation for hope in our field.