Archaeologists have been paying attention to place for many years. As they have studied vernacular architecture, among other important markers of the past, they have recognized the importance and meaning given to specific places by peoples around the world. Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico has been one such place for hundreds of years.
To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Senses of Place, SAR Press will host Steven Feld, Amahl Bishara, and Kristina Lyons for a virtual conversation about the book’s impact, as well as more recent developments in the field. This event launches a series of discussions focused on place this summer at SAR. Panelists will discuss earthen architecture at several New World archaeological sites in the US Midwest and coastal Peru, Pueblo architecture at sites across the US Southwest, and more.
In a conversation with SAR’s director of communications and public programs, Ruth Van Dyke describes how the Ancestral Puebloan builders in Chaco Canyon tried to create a “sense of place that emphasized Chaco as the center. Chaco was the fulcrum, and you can see this on the landscape.”
Every year SAR welcomes a new cohort of resident scholars, who spend nine months studying, writing, and participating in the intellectual life of the campus. As usual, the 2019–2020 scholars brought with them a variety of interests and projects, but they came together in their appreciation of the time, the place, and the community they found here.
The School for Advanced Research is now highlighting the stories of its scholars and artists in a whole new way. SAR Impacts is a new video series that explores the work of one scholar or artist and showcases its impact and relevance to our world today. “The work of...
A selection of this year’s resident scholars—who study everything from ancient drinking practices in Chaco Canyon to the newly built Delhi metro—have recommended the SAR Press books they find most useful, thought provoking, or even just enjoyable. We hope you enjoy them, too.
From excavations of Chaco in the early nineteenth century to the latest research on cosmology, monumental architecture, and long-distance trade, SAR has supported scholars who wish to understand and protect this unique place—and shared their findings with other researchers and the public.
The School for Advanced Research (SAR) is pleased to announce the next event in our third annual Creative Thought Forum Series. Archaeologist Ruth Van Dyke presents Chaco Landscapes: Sensory and Political Engagements with Place. In her talk she shares insights into past and present social, political, and sensorial relationships across the greater Chaco landscape. She explores how archaeologists can work together with Native peoples to influence the public understanding of contemporary economic/extractive projects, including those in northwest New Mexico.
Ruined great houses, corn kernels and bones—these are just some of the archeological fragments that have offered researchers new insights into how Middle San Juan Puebloan peoples lived in the 12th and 13th centuries. Featured earlier this year in the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Pasatiempo, the book Aztec, Salmon, and the Puebloan Heartland of the Middle San Juan covers these topics and more as eleven contributing writers examine new evidence that helps shed light on the settlements.
Sarah Van Beurden Weatherhead Fellow Associate Professor, History and African-American and African Studies Ohio State University Dr. Sarah Van Beurden studies the lives and afterlives of three disappeared and forgotten colonial craft genres in Congo:[...]
Map of El Delirio (1927), now SAR’s campus Explore the fascinating history, stunning architecture, and beautiful outdoor gardens—including the famous pet cemetery—of the 1920s home of Amelia Elizabeth White and Martha Root White. The secluded[...]
Map of El Delirio (1927), now SAR’s campus Explore the fascinating history, stunning architecture, and beautiful outdoor gardens—including the famous pet cemetery—of the 1920s home of Amelia Elizabeth White and Martha Root White. The secluded[...]
Brian Adams, Kivalina, Alaska: Kivalina Sea Wall, 2007. From the series Disappearing Villages. Courtesy of the artist.Cautionary Tales: Climate Crisis & Indigenous Arts is a one-day symposium that brings Indigenous artists and advocates into conversation about[...]
Bertin M. Louis, Jr. Wenner-Gren Fellow Associate Professor, Anthropology University of Kentucky In his co-authored book project with Dr. Charmane Perry, Dr. Louis presents a study about the historical foundation and the contemporary realities of[...]
Map of El Delirio (1927), now SAR’s campus Explore the fascinating history, stunning architecture, and beautiful outdoor gardens—including the famous pet cemetery—of the 1920s home of Amelia Elizabeth White and Martha Root White. The secluded[...]
Map of El Delirio (1927), now SAR’s campus Explore the fascinating history, stunning architecture, and beautiful outdoor gardens—including the famous pet cemetery—of the 1920s home of Amelia Elizabeth White and Martha Root White. The secluded[...]
Alberto Wilson, III Mellon Fellow Assistant Professor, History Texas Christian University Dr. Alberto Wilson explores the lives of Ciudad Juárez’s working residents during the late twentieth century with the arrival and consolidation of the maquiladora[...]