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Director's Message

by carolinetam — last modified September 23, 2008 04:52 PM

: Charles Stanish, Director, Cotsen Institute of Archeology

As we embark on another academic year, it is gratifying to report that the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology remains healthy and vibrant. We are now a truly global institution, with research and/or instruction in countries around the world, from Argentina to Armenia, from India to Israel. Our archaeologists now conduct programs in over 20 countries plus several sites in the western US. As we grow in the near future, we will strive to create a new kind of archaeology, one that is socially relevant and academically superb. This kind of post-nationalist and post-colonialist archaeology seeks to value the historical and contemporary contributions of the diverse peoples of the world while maintaining a critical eye to potential abuses of the historical past. We seek to collaborate with peoples and institutions around the world without imposing or denying our own values in an effort to educate anyone of goodwill about the wonders of the world’s cultural heritage. The twenty-first century will be an exciting time in world history, and we are fortunate to be a part of this new era as one steward of this cultural heritage.

Our Press is thriving with almost 10 books per year produced in the last couple years. We have started a new World Heritage and Monuments Series that will publish accessible books by expert scholars on many of the great archaeological areas on the globe. Our Director of International Research launched the first full year of our UCLA Archaeology Field Program in 2008 with 11 projects in North America, South America, and Europe. The incoming graduate student class in the Archaeology Program and related departments ranks at the very top of their peers in the country. And of course, the depth and breadth of our research conducted by the more than 35 faculty members and 60 Research Associates is truly astounding. We welcome you to browse the newly designed Web site to learn more about the Cotsen Institute and its programs and to see the exciting ideas that are being created in our corner of the UCLA campus.

Charles Stanish
Director
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology

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