Upper School Intersession 2025

The way we view science and the past has been strongly informed by scientific research that did not have good intentions, and did not view humans across the globe as equals. In the past 15 years, archaeologists and museum researchers have been trying to identify how ideas of inequality and superiority have affected our understanding of the past, using archaeology as a tool of empire and European supremacy. This session covers how European researchers used their colonial view of their own high intelligence to build up a scientific practice that reinforced their role as “objective”, and how that view permeates science today, including AI and data science. The session aims to deconstruct some of the myths of science as fully objective, identify ways to break down these concepts, and figure out how science can move forward with inclusive research. We will discuss archaeological theories and developments that led to our current understanding of non-objectivity and decolonising praxis.

Key questions: What role did scientists’ belief in their objectivity influence the kinds of research they practiced? How can we practice science today without falling into the same traps?

Part of a series: “Ethical issues in archaeology." Students are invited to attend one or more sessions in this series by Stacy.

In this session, we will be discussing facets of science that can be uncomfortable in the interest of learning and understanding.