DH 187: Digitizing Ancient and Modern Refugees (Spring 2024)

This course examines refugeehood through the literary and material record, with a focus on the ancient Greco-Roman world and the contemporary Vietnamese diaspora.  Drawing on Critical Refugee Studies, we investigate the politics of forced displacement in ancient and modern contexts, especially in relation to race and ethnicity, and colonialism and imperialism. We examine how refugees have been discussed, portrayed, and treated, as well as flip the script to explore refugeehood through the perspectives and experiences of refugees themselves.  Students gain hands-on experience working with a selection of digitized artifacts from the Vietnamese refugee community and have the opportunity to explore different digital archaeology methodologies. Throughout the course, students work towards building their final group project: a digital exhibit featuring refugee material culture from the contemporary Vietnamese diaspora alongside those from the ancient Greco-Roman world with the goal of shedding light on contemporary refugee issues.