Despite ideals of scientific and scholarly objectivity, both Egyptologists and non-specialists have often projected their own racial anxieties onto ancient Egypt. Recurrent attempts to prove that the ancient Egyptians were white or black, for example, reveal more about modern societies than about ancient Egypt. Donald Reid will discuss the history of how such debates have played out among Western and modern Egyptian scholars, artists, and writers, and how interpretations of ancient Egypt are intertwined with personal values. Donald Reid, Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at Georgia State University and Affiliate Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at University of Washington will present this lecture for the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology’s Race, Representation, and Museums Lecture Series.
ORGANIZER(S): Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
EVENT WEBSITE: https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/