Climate Change and Its Affect on Arctic Archaeology: A Lecture from Dr. Christyann Darwent

Fragility and Resilience: Climate Change and Arctic Archaeology
Wednesday, April 5 | 12:30 pm PT | 223 Philosophy Hall | RSVP

The human history of the North American Arctic has been a cycle of expansions and contractions, of mobility and migration, and fragility and resilience. Archaeology brings a long-term perspective to the relationship between humans and the Arctic environment. More recently, however, the face of archaeological research and knowledge production has undergone rapid change, particularly in the past decade. Just as geneticists and isotopic chemists have discovered the wealth of information locked in the archaeological record of the Arctic, these formerly frozen sites are rapidly melting or eroding into the sea. In addition, Inuit scholars and communities are redefining their relationship with archaeology and archaeologists. Based on Dr. Christyann Darwent's fieldwork, this talk focuses on the historical ecology of Smith Sound at the northern edge of what is now Canada and Greenland. New questions and new methods have enhanced our understanding of a place that exemplifies both isolation and long-distance social bonds, precariousness, and resilience.

Note: The speaker will share artifacts from excavations in Greenland at the in-person presentation.