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ANTHROPOLOGY COLLOQUIUM SERIES
** Occasional Seminar **
Southeast Asian Heritage,
Community Development, and the Role of
Archaeologists in the Process
Dr. Nigel Chang
Department of Anthropology, Archaeology & Sociology, James
Cook University
Thursday, September 16th, 3:00 pm, Crawford Hall 105
At the end of February, 2010, the (now) James Cook University led 10th excavation
season at Ban Non Wat, Northeast Thailand was completed. The Ban Non Wat
excavations are one of the longest-running archaeological research projects in
Southeast Asia, and this project has led to greater, local, public involvement and
interest than might otherwise be the case. Currently, strong local government
interest is being translated into the building of a Community Learning Centre;
some are arguing that the site be nominated for World Heritage status.
How did this come about? Is this the sort of thing that archaeologists should be
doing? Is there such a thing as too much knowledge or community involvement,
and does this intensity of research provide fuel for the illicit trafficking in
antiquities? These questions will all be considered at Ban Non Wat as well as for
another (also JCU-led) ongoing project; this time based in Laos and with a
significant commercial component. Of particular interest is the issue of how the
Laos-based project’s status as a contract archaeology project affects the nature of
community engagement.
Dr. Nigel Chang (Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology) holds a Ph.D.
from the University of Otago and co-directs the Society and Environment at Ban Non Wat, Northeast
Thailand Project. He has worked in Thailand since 1991, worked in Cambodia several times, and
currently also directs archaeological research in Laos.
Co-sponsored with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies
For further information, please contact Dr. Miriam Stark at [email protected].