Kyle Olson, an alumnus who studied Archeology and Persian here at Ohio State and then received his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. He now works as a lecturer at Washington University, and he has conducted surveys in Oman, Turkmenistan, and Hungary. Dr. Olson has also lectured on archeology worldwide. We discussed his experience learning Persian and applying it in the field. As a Critical Language Scholarship recipient himself, Olson provides his recommendations for students looking to learn this valuable language. We also explore the centrality of archeology in international relations, history, and other disciplines. As a deeply politicized field, Olson comments on the need to address power inequalities within archeology. We were thrilled to get the chance to talk to him about his experiences doing fieldwork and engaging with scholars in Iran as an archeology insider and fluent speaker of Persian. 

Interested in learning Persian? Check out Persian Studies at Ohio State University, and our Persian language program. 

On June 8th we discussed the “Tutmania” phenomenon, and how popular narratives shape our views of history. The Tutankhamun exhibit is now at COSI, Columbus’s Science and Industry museum. Dr. Johanna Sellman, Associate Professor of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures, shared her knowledge of narratives and their power to shape the way we perceive the world in general and Egypt in particular. We give some background information on “Tutmania,” why its influence may still shape the way we view Tutankhamun, and how visitors can get the most out of this spectacular exhibit at COSI by adopting a more critical view. Rahma Anjum, Lead Intern of the Middle East Studies Center, conducted much of the interview.

The Tutankhamun exhibit is now at COSI, Columbus’s Science and Industry museum. Join us on Thursday, June 8th at 10am Eastern US time with Dr. Johanna Sellman as we discuss “King Tut” in popular culture and how it continues to shape the way we perceive Egypt. We will give some background information on “Tutmania,” why its influence may still shape the way we view Tutankhamun, and how visitors can get the most out of this spectacular exhibit by adopting a more critical view.

This episode with Dr. Sefa Secen took place on April 27th 2023 covered human security in the context of forced migration with examples from the Middle East. State security focuses on borders and protecting the state as an entity. While on the other hand, human security puts the emphasis on the things that allow us to maintain our lives as human beings, such as economic security, freedom of movement, shelter, and in general the things that make our lives liveable. The two perspectives on security can contradict each other. For example when closing borders puts migrants’ lives in danger. We explored the implications of national discourses on the security of migrants in various countries, especially impacts on Syrian migrants in Turkey and Germany. Implications for immigrants’ freedom to move, freedom to work, freedom from being expelled, and other rights. Discourses can also shift public attitudes towards immigrants and their experience in host societies.

Secen is a postdoctoral fellow at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies and a research fellow on the Islamic Family Law Index Project. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University in July 2022. His general research interests include forced migration, human and minority rights, international security, the Middle East, and qualitative and multi-method research. In particular, he studies the politics of forced migration with a focus on the social construction of threat and security perceptions. His research has been published in the Journal of Global Security Studies, European Politics and Society, Muslim World Journal of Human Rights, and Forced Migration Review. He has also written in the Washington Post’s Made by History blog and E-International Relations.

Special thanks to Rahma Anjum for editing this episode.

To follow Dr. Secen’s work check out his website and twitter:

https://sefasecen.weebly.com/
Tweets by SefaSecen3

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Image of “Please Stand By” sign, by SparkFun Electronics, via Flickr, CC 2.0

Ever wondered how long modern humans have traipsed the earth? Hint: it’s been at least 100,000 years. In this video we talk to Professor Nick Conard about his research on that question, and the origins of human culture. He shares experiences in archeological fieldwork, especially in Syria and Iran. Conard’s main areas of research include: Paleolithic archaeology; lithic, taphonomic, faunal and spatial analysis of archaeological sites; Pleistocene chronostratigraphy; evolution and dispersal of modern humans; environmental reconstruction and settlement history of western Eurasia and Africa, as well as the origins of agriculture and sedentism. The pictures are from his work in #Iran . . .The tell is Chogah Golan. Copyrights: University of Tübingen.

These are pictures from his work in #Iran! The tell is Chogah Golan. Copyrights: University of Tübingen.

Ever wondered how long modern humans have traipsed the earth? Hint: it’s been at least 100,000 years. We’re going to talk to Professor Nick Conard about his research on that question, and the origins of human culture in the Middle East, in particular. We will ask him to share stories from his archeological fieldwork, especially in Syria and Iran. Conard’s main areas of research include: Paleolithic archaeology; lithic, taphonomic, faunal and spatial analysis of archaeological sites; Pleistocene chronostratigraphy; evolution and dispersal of modern humans; environmental reconstruction and settlement history of western Eurasia and Africa, as well as the origins of agriculture and sedentism.

Bawa Yawan rock shelter, sieving with the traditional method at a Paleolithic site in Iranian Zagros, April 2017. Sfandiari, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Professor Conard works in Germany, leading several European academic organizations focused on prehistory. He’s Professor and Head of the Department of Ur-und Fruhgeschichte und Archaologie der Mittalalters in Tuebingen, Germany. Additionally, he heads several museum collections, exhibits and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment.

Conard earned bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and chemistry at the University of Rochester in 1983. In 1986 he was awarded an interdisciplinary master’s degree in physics, geology and anthropology in Rochester. His research focused on the initial applications of AMS radiocarbon dating and studies of 36Cl and Be10 in glacial ice. Following studies in Freiburg and Cologne, Conard earned master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology at Yale University in 1988 and 1990, where he wrote his Ph.D. thesis on the archaeology of Neanderthals.

See more of his work at https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche-fakultaet/fachbereiche/geowissenschaften/arbeitsgruppen/urgeschichte-naturwissenschaftliche-archaeologie/ina/aeltere-urgeschichte-quartaeroekologie/mitarbeiter/prof-nicholas-j-conard-phd/

On Thursday, June 16th John Quigley, Professor, Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law spoke about international law and how it has played a role in Jerusalem since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. He discussed the status of Jerusalem has evolved since then. He went into the detail about why Tel Aviv is still recognized as Israel’s capital by most countries, despite Israel’s claim on Jerusalem as its sovereign territory and capital. We learned that back in 1949 when Israel applied for membership to the United Nations, member states insisted that Jerusalem remain under “international administration,” until such time when the people of Jerusalem could vote on what their government should be. The records of the extensive hearings can be found on the UN website.

Professor Quigley’s research interests include East European Law, International Law, and Human Rights. His books include, Consular Law and Practice (co-authored with Luke T. Lee), Oxford University Press 2008, Soviet Legal Innovation and the Law of the Western World, Cambridge U Press 2007, The Case for Palestine: An International Law Perspective (Duke U Press, 2005), and most recently, Britain and Its Mandate over Palestine, and the Legality of a Jewish State. He has a new book coming out called “Britain and Its Mandate Over Palestine.”

Old Town of Jerusalem, by Dan via Flickr, CC 2.0

Join us on Thursday, June 16th for an interview on Facebook livestream with John Quigley, Professor, Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law. You can find him giving interviews to media outlets on current events, serving as an expert at U.N. conferences, and his analyses can be found in magazines such as the Quincy Institute’s “Responsible Statecraft.” We will focus on the status of Jerusalem, especially how it has evolved since 1947, and give a little background information on what international law is and how it has played a role in Israel/Palestine. In addition to this topic, Professor Quigley’s research interests include East European Law, International Law, and Human Rights.  His books include, Consular Law and Practice (co-authored with Luke T. Lee), Oxford University Press 2008, Soviet Legal Innovation and the Law of the Western World, Cambridge U Press 2007, The Case for Palestine: An International Law Perspective (Duke U Press, 2005), and most recently, Britain and Its Mandate over Palestine, and the Legality of a Jewish State.

John B. Quigley, Professor, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University