The BRIHC Humanities Lab is a series of events and groups housed within the School of History and Cultures.
Critical CAHA
is a student-run discussion group focusing on inclusivity and diversity within studying our Ancient and Prehistoric worlds. We will be talking about topics ranging from decolonisation, queer identities, reception, neurodiversity, feminism, and many others!
For each week, we will send out some quick reading (only a 15-minute read or so), and we will use this as a basis for our discussion of that week.
All sessions will be on Zoom, so can be done whenever, wherever! Watch this space, more to follow!
- 26 January 2022 - 'Classics and White Supremacy'
Welcome to our first event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the series - Cinzia (she/her) and John (he/him) - will lead our first discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Classics and White Supremacy’ based off our article of the week:
https://eidolon.pub/how-to-be-a-good-classicist-under-a-bad-emperor-6b848df6e54a
The bullet points for the discussion:
- Can you identify any pieces of white supremacy in your field?
- Have you found examples of classics being used for white supremacy in modern contexts?
- Outside this list of challenges, are there any more we can add for within our fields?
- 2 February 2022 - 'Repatriation of Archaeological Materials'
Welcome to our second event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Ellen (she/her) and John (he/him) - will lead our second discussion session. We will be discussing 'Repatriation of Archaeological Materials' based off our article of the week:
https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/features/2020/11/a-new-approach-to-repatriation/
The bullet points for the discussion:
- Is what the Pitt Rivers Museums is doing with Maasai (pronounces Muh-sai) remains good/appropriate?
- What about the rest of the museum?
- Which approach is better – The Pitt River’s Museum or Manchester Museums or both or neither?
- 9 February 2022 - 'Female and Non-Binary Bodies in the Ancient World'
Welcome to our third event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Cordelia (she/her) and Cinzia (she/her) - will lead our third discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Female and Non-Binary Bodies in the Ancient World’ based off our article of the week:
https://eidolon.pub/the-body-in-question-d28045d23714
The bullet points for the discussion:
- How does this change the way we look at modern or renaissance gender identities in art and literature?
- Can this gender fluidity be seen in any other areas?
- 16 February 2022 - 'Tokenism in Reception'
Welcome to our fourth event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Hebe(she/her) and John (he/him) - will lead our fourth discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Tokenism in Reception: Percy Jackson and Others' based off our article of the week:
https://www.journals.polon.uw.edu.pl/index.php/dlk/article/view/20 The page is in Polish but has an English translation in the PDF
The bullet points for the discussion:
- How important is race to a role? When does it define the role, and when is colour-blind casting appropriate within reception?
- To what extent are mythical creatures, who are half-man, mocking disability, and how should this be addressed in reception?
- Is Grover an intersectional character or is he tokenistic?
- Neurodiversity in Classics with Alice and Cinzia
Welcome to our Fifth event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Alice (she/her) and Cinzia (she/her) - will lead our fifth discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Neurodiversity in Classics’ based off our article of the week:
https://cucdedi.wordpress.com/2021/08/31/building-asterion-support-for-neurodiversity-in-classics/
if accessible:
https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxyd.bham.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1080/21624887.2021.1978643
The bullet points for the discussion:
• How do we speak to individuals with neurodivergence in academia?
• What does neurodiversity look like within classics and academia in general?
• How can neurodivergent individuals and the study of it change the field of Classics for the better?
- 2 March 2022 - Glorification of the Ancient World with Harriet and John
Welcome to our Sixth event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Harriet (she/her) and John (he/him) - will lead our sixth discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Glorification of the Ancient World’ based off our article of the week:
https://www.vox.com/2019/11/6/20919221/alt-right-history-greece-rome-donna-zuckerberg
The bullet points for the discussion:
• How can this be viewed in modern contexts, especially through reception and film?
• How intersectional is this conversation, does this apply to other marginalised groups?
• How does this discussion follow on from our first session?
- Women in the Field with Polly and Cinzia
- TRIGGER WARNING - Rape and Sexual Assult
Welcome to our Seventh event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Polly (she/her) and Cinzia (she/her) - will lead our seventh discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Women in the Field’ based off our article of the week:
https://eidolon.pub/rape-or-romance-1b3d584585b8
The bullet points for the discussion:
- Does the presence of Persephone's romantic feelings invalidate her experience of sexual assault?
- Outside of rape erasure, what other dangers do certain translations have?
- How important is intersectionality important for research and use of CAHA?
- 16 March 2022 - Queer Sex in the Ancient World with Rebecca and John
Welcome to our eighth event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Rebecca (she/they) and John (he/him) - will lead our eighth discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Queer Sex in the Ancient World’ based off our article of the week:
https://scroll.in/article/953060/why-we-romanticise-ancient-greek-homosexuality-but-snub-romes-role-in-popularising-queer-love
The bullet points for the discussion:
- Why do you think Greece has been viewed as more ‘gay’ than Rome?
- Could the use of Latin be comparable to Polari of elite men?
- Why do you think women preferred to talk about Greek love and eroticism than Roman?
- 23 March 2022 - POC Writing of Classics with Moe and Cinzia
Welcome to our ninth event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Moe (they/she) and Cinzia (she/her) - will lead our ninth discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Importance of POC Writing’ based off our article of the week:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14696053030033003
The bullet points for the discussion:
- How can we rediscover people of colour in research?
- What are your thoughts on the ethics of using local people for research?
- How can we reframe the past?
- 30 March 2022 - Issues with the National Curriculum with Connor and John
Welcome to our tenth event of Critical CAHA! This week, our hosts for the session - Connor (he/they) and John (he/him) - will lead our tenth discussion session. We will be discussing ‘Issues with the National Curriculum’ based off our article of the week:
The bullet points for the discussion:
- What are your thoughts on the KS2 curriculum - Prehistory, Roman Empire, Greece, Benin, Egypt, Sumer, Shang Dynasty of China, Maya and the Indus Valley?
- What are your thoughts on the OCR GCSE Curriculum - Graeco-Roman Myth and Women, Homer, Roman City Life and Warfare?
- What are your thoughts on the OCR A Level Curriculum - Epics, Theatre, Barbarism, Imperialism, Art, Religion, Love, Republicism and Democracy?
‘Seriously, how are you?’ – is a new group set up by the SHaC PGR community, for the SHaC PGR community. We are hopeful that the forum will provide an open, informal and safe space where we can support each other and ask the questions/have the conversations that are best had with peers because – let’s be honest – we’ve all been there, wondering who to talk to about our latest existential crisis or imposter syndrome attack because we don’t want to email our supervisors for the fifth time that day. The forum will also allow the SHaC PGR community to stay connected as the Covid-19 pandemic continues and opportunities to meet in person remain limited. We will meet every other Wednesday from 5-6, starting on Wednesday 12 January 2022. The forum will be run virtually so that distance learning students and those who are shielding can attend too. If you’d like to join please contact Anna Dearden (axd303@student.bham.ac.uk) or Cinzia Dubois (csw148@student.bham.ac.uk) for the Zoom link.