- Wednesday, March 4, 2020
- 3:30 PM–5:00 PM
- Meeter Center Lecture Hall
This presentation discusses the ongoing excavations at Christiansborg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, former trading post, seat of Danish and British colonial governments, and Office of the President of Ghana. Dr. Engmann will introduce the term ‘autoarchaeology’ to underscore a new epistemological approach which centers direct descendants as key knowledge producers, together with the narratives they reconstruct, impacting understandings of the histories and legacies of the Danish transatlantic slave trade.
About the Speaker
Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, is an associate professor in Critical Social Inquiry at Hampshire College (US). She received a B.A. in anthropology from Columbia University, an M.A. in museum anthropology from Columbia, an M.A. in heritage from Stanford University and a PhD in archaeology from Stanford University. She is particularly interested in decolonizing approaches to archaeological heritage praxis. Inspired by many of her research interests, Engmann teaches a broad range of courses that elucidate the African experience – past and present – through the prisms of critical heritage, historical archaeology, archaeological ethnography, material culture, museums, West African Islam, transatlantic slave trade, slavery and colonial photography.
This talk jointly sponsored by the African & African Diaspora Studies, Archaeology, and History programs and is part of history colloquia series. These lectures are open to the Calvin community - students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends - and all are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Come early to enjoy refreshments and conversation, and feel free to ask questions or join the discussion at the end.
