September 25, 2023
Meghan O’Toole
Rebecca Graff invited to present her archaeological research for ISIE
Associate Professor of Anthropology Rebecca Graff has been invited to present at a new speaker series for the Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE).
Associate Professor of Anthropology Rebecca Graff has been invited to present at a new speaker series for the Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE).
Graff will present “The Archaeology of Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” on September 28. The lecture will be available to view online.
“I hope to share my excavations of the world’s fair site in Chicago’s Jackson Park to suggest the transformative potential of archaeological research to help us better understand this modern phenomenon—one that still takes place,” Graff said.
Graff’s talk draws from research she began in 2006 that became the foundation of her doctoral dissertation and a part of her book, Disposing of Modernity: The Archaeology of Garbage and Consumerism During Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, as well as the exhibit she co-curated at the Charnley-Persky House Museum, The City Beyond The White City Race, Two Chicago Homes, and Their Neighborhoods 1892–2022.
“I love talking to interested audiences of non-scholars about the importance of archaeological research in lifting up stories and unknown histories in Chicago,” Graff said. “But in this case, I am excited to talk with scholars who have a similar research interest in world’s fairs. I welcome these talks as a way to generate new research ideas and to talk to fellow scholars who have a similar interest.”
The talk can be accessed on ISIE’s website and will be streamed on September 28 at 5 p.m. CST.