In order to continue the conversations started during our recent conference, we’d like to share a short list of reading recommendations shared by attendees in the Zoom chat, in our Q&A sessions, and in our Discord server.
Primer by Rita Dove and A Latin Primer by Derek Walcott
These two poems were shared during Dr. Greenwood’s lecture, A Classical Primer for Anti-racism / An Anti-racist Primer for Classics.
The fall after the summer of solidarity, published by Eos
A very recent look at the field of Classics after the summer of 2020.
Against Civility: The Hidden Racism in Our Obsession with Civility by Alex Zamalin
A study of the discourse surrounding “civility,” addressing the “need to abandon this concept of discreet politeness when it comes to racial justice and instead more fully support disruptive actions and calls for liberation”.
The Gender of History: Men, Women, and Historical Practice by Bonnie G. Smith
A look at the “amateurism” and the prioritizing of white male history through female historians of the 19th century.
The Art of Contact: Comparative Approaches to Greek and Phoenician Art by S. Rebecca Martin
Martin takes a critical look at Greek and Phoenician interactions, to “[destabilize] categories such as orientalism and Hellenism”.
Into the Land of Bones: Alexander the Great in Afghanistan by Frank L. Holt
Using the example of Alexander the Great, Holt “situates the current war in Afghanistan in a broader historical perspective.”
The Hellenistic Far East: Archaeology, Language, and Identity in Greek Central Asia by Rachel Mairs
Mairs provides an in-depth survey of the creation of identity in Central Asia after Alexander the Great.
Potential History: Unlearning Imperialism by Ariella Aïsha Azoulay
An argument to “unlearn imperialism” by “refusing imperial violence” and thus decenter imperial structures.
The “Happy Slave” Narrative and Classics Pedagogy: A Verbal and Visual Analysis of Beginning Greek and Latin Textbooks by Kelly P. Dugan
A survey of the language used to describe slavery in several major Latin textbooks showing how the language of these textbooks create a “sanatized” version of ancient enslavement, which perpetuates racist discourse.
The Moral Economy of Science by Lorraine Daston
An exploration of the problems wrapped up in scientific “objectivity,” suggested on Discord during our discussion of this topic.
Any we missed? Please email us and we will update this post!