How did our distant ancestors live? And what can this tell us about our contemporary world? Drawing on wide-ranging research in archaeology and anthropology, The Dawn of Everything is an ambitious attempt to overturn the conventional narrative about human history, including the origins of farming, property, cities, and democracy, and replace it with a more accurate, interesting, and unpredictable story.
This Spring, IRIS NRC will host a series of events featuring experts from across the UW-Madison campus providing their assessment of the book and how it might change the way we think about and teach the deep past as well as what it tells us about the present. Pre-register now to receive a free copy of the book. We will meet at 4pm starting Wednesday, February 15.
Thank you to African Cultural Studies, Middle East Studies Program, and African Studies Program for co-sponsoring this event series.
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International Book Club: The Belly of the Atlantic with Vlad Dima
Join us for our November Book Club with Vlad Dima, Professor and Chair of African Cultural Studies at UW-Madison for a discussion of the award-winning novel The Belly of the Atlantic by French-Senegalese author Fatou Diome. The first 20 Wisconsin K-12 educators who register for this event will receive a free copy of the book, and the first 20 UW-Madison students to register will receive one as well!
Participants are encouraged to read The Belly of the Atlantic by Fatou Diome before attending this online event. Learn more about this event by clicking the link above.
Session 1: Rethinking the Roots of Inequality
Join us for our November Film Club with Natasha Iskander, a Professor at NYU-Wagner, who recently published an acclaimed book examining the lives of migrant workers recruited to build the stadiums for the World Cup of 2022 in Qatar. The featured film is The Workers Cup. Natasha will draw on her research to deepen our understanding of issues of migrant labor and human rights in Qatar. The first 15 educators and 10 students to register will receive a copy of Natasha's book, Does Skill Make Us Human?
Participants are encouraged to watch the Workers Cup before attending this online event. See links for trailer and where to watch the film by clicking the event link above.
Session 1: Rethinking the Roots of Inequality
Recommended reading: Chapters 1-2.
What are the origins of social inequality? The story we all know is that humans used to live in small, egalitarian bands of hunter-gatherers until the invention of agriculture led to the formation of settlements, then cities, then states, which brought with them ever greater inequality. Yet, according to Graeber & Wengrow, new evidence shows that for thousands of years our distant ancestors consciously and collectively transformed their worlds in a variety of ways. In this introductory session, we will introduce the book, its authors, and the controversies it has generated.