Mar 24, 2025
5:15pm - 6:45pm
104 Jaffe
The lecture by Dimitris Plantzos, titled The Birth of Archaeopolitics, explores how archaeology is used as a political tool to shape national identities and enforce ideological narratives. Plantzos introduces the concept of archaeopolitics, a strategy that merges archaeological practice with political agendas, particularly in Greece and Egypt. He discusses how historical sites and monuments construct an imagined historical continuum linking modern national identity to an idealized classical past. He also examines the role of archaeology in forming archaeomentality, a governmental logic that prioritizes antiquity over present-day realities, shaping public perception and national self-image.Through various case studies, including the Fallen Warriors Memorial in Kardamyli, Greece, the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition and the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade in Egypt, and so on, Plantzos illustrates how archaeology becomes a form of biopolitical control, using cultural heritage to manage populations and reinforce nationalism. The lecture concludes by examining how archaeopolitics influences modern identity formation, turning citizens into “archaeo-bodies” that perform and embody their nation's historical narrative.