On Monday night at 5:30 p.m., Saint Mary’s opened its doors of Spes Unica Hall to Notre Dame and Indiana University South Bend archaeological specialists and professors for an informal discussion panel. The panel consisted of adjunct professor of anthropology Lauren Finnigan, assistant professor of anthropology Mark Golitko and Indiana University South Bend’s professors in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Jay VanderVeen and Joshua Wells. Together, the four shared their backgrounds in varying fields of research to students of anthropology.
Organizing the event was global studies professor Nell Haynes, who at the request of some interested students, reached out to the region’s leading researchers.
“After some discussions in class last semester, I decided I’d reach out to archaeologists nearby to see if they’d be willing to come do an event ... I thought it would be nice for students to get a sense of the variety of topics archaeologists [study], different methods they use and different time periods they’re interested in," Haynes said.
The discussion opened with introductions from Haynes, then moved on to individual presentations where each professor discussed their fields of research. Finnigan explained how her path of PhD research led her to focus on feminism as she uncovered artifacts and records of women in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago during the Gilded Age.
“I basically study chicks and bricks," Finnigan said.
Her additional interest and findings in architecture inspired her to look at the bricks of Notre Dame’s Old College, as she explained that the bricks were actually made at Saint Mary’s.
VanderVeen emphasized the importance of studying and researching topics which are genuinely interesting to him. His work has taken him to study the cultural origins of regions here in South Bend, as well as the Dominican Republic.
During his presentation VanderVeen showcased some of his best finds on dig sites, such a 1920s 14 carat gold Egyptian mask pendant that was a remnant of the “Egyptian Fever” that took over after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, as well shards of pottery dating back to 1469. VanderVeen discussed the questions that motivate him in his archeological research.
“How can I find that the chronicles say one thing and historians believe it? How can I, through archeology, prove the historians wrong?" VanderVeen said.
Golitko discussed how his work has taken him across Europe and to the island of Papua New Guinea. There, he explored how populations have responded to climate change and studied human interactions can be decoded through unearthed artifacts. He explained how his interest in the field developed.
“My mother's German, I spent summers over there, so I was super into castles and Roman sites and things like that. But [I] didn't much really think about the idea that you could do this as a job. I wanted to work in Europe. There was a professor who worked there, so [it was] sort of a natural fit to work with him. He was working on this early Neolithic period in Belgium warfare and so he sorts of helped develop the project with me," Golikto said.
Wells, in addition to his background in archaeology, is also trained in online computer programming. This experience allowed Wells to work on the collective anthropology and archaeology website known as the Data Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA). DINAA has helped connect archaeologists, their research and dig sites, into one website where publications and additional information can all be found.
Golitko also argued for an increased focus on diversity in the field.
“I think a really big effort, not just at IUSB, but in the discipline at large, is really attempting to recognize diversity in the past, which anthropology prides itself on," Golikto said. "There's a lot of work to be done and recognizing how archeology can expand the purview of the past or to be more inclusive, it's not just the right thing to do. It's also scientifically valid science that understands the past, unless you're actually represented. So, they push those envelopes.”
