The Materiality of Refugee Displacement
Nam Kim
Professor of Anthropology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
In recent decades, the field of contemporary archaeology has expanded our understanding of the modern world by examining the physical traces of recent and ongoing historical moments. Related studies have pushed beyond traditional deep-history timeframes, highlighting how material culture can reveal the obscure and everyday realities of forced migration and geopolitical displacement in the present day. Using the aftermath of the Vietnam War as a backdrop, this lecture explores how physical objects, landscapes, and built environments are intertwined with memory, identity, and survival. By doing so, it considers how contemporary archaeology can provide a powerful lens for honoring and preserving refugee memories, providing more a foundation for more inclusive and textured histories of displacement.
Nam C. Kim is an anthropological archaeologist with interests related to early civilizations, ancient urbanism, and the significance of the material past for modern-day stakeholders. He is especially interested in the archaeological history of organized violence and warfare. Since 2005 he has been conducting archaeological fieldwork in Vietnam. Currently, he is also performing anthropological research on the history of Operation New Life on Guam, which in 1975 involved the reception and resettlement of over 100,000 refugees at the end of the Vietnam War.