In Context with School for Advanced Research

Paul Ryer
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How do the present and past shape each other? Why does understanding this matter? In Context with SAR tackles the fascinating world of scholarly research through questions like why people left Chaco Canyon or how climate change affects migration and explores them through the perspectives of three experts across anthropology, archaeology, and the humanities more broadly. Hosted by Paul Ryer and produced by the School for Advanced Research (SAR), each episode brings together voices from the field who share real-world stories, behind-the-scenes research, and their takes on today’s challenges. Founded in 1907, SAR is a hub for groundbreaking social science and humanities research, supporting scholars and artists through residencies, seminars, and collaborations. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico SAR is also home to the Indian Arts Research Center, a leader in Native arts and museum practices. Whether you’re an academic, a student, or just someone who loves a good story In Context with SAR is here to bring big ideas to life. Join us as we connect history to today’s world—one question at a time.

Episodes

  1. 2D AGO

    What happened at Chaco Canyon?

    In this episode, Paul, Barbara, Phillip, and Robert discuss:  Why Chaco Canyon drew people for centuries, and why it continues to remain a powerful symbol of the ancient Southwest.What social network migration has revealed about Chaco Canyon throughout the centuries.How science, oral tradition, and indigenous epistemologies can better work together to interpret sacred places like Chaco.The importance of Chaco and the need to respect all peoples involved.  Key Takeaways:  We want to be careful not to polarize the past with modern understandings of categories. For instance, the roads show how interconnected religion, politics, and economics were all interwoven.There are different stories and different perspectives that need to be acknowledged and treated with respect as we try to find the balance between preservation, development, and indigenous peoples.Chaco matters to different groups. While there may be different views on the best way to protect Chaco, the shared sentiment is that Chaco is powerful, sacred, and significant, and we should all do what we can to ensure its health.There are many different reasons why people may have left Chaco, ranging from droughts to astrological phenomena to clans dying out and more. “All of us have to be very, very careful that we don't take our Western European education and template and try to lay it down on a group of people that might as well come from Venus or Mars. We don't know what they were thinking; we don't know their judgment, values, and such things. We’ve got to be careful of not trying to interpret ancestral people in our everyday framework.” - Phillip Tuwaletstiwa Episode Resources:  Evaluating Chaco migration scenarios using dynamic social network analysisParallel roads, solstice and sacred geography at the Gasco Site Lidar Reveals Sacred Roads Near Chaco Canyon About Dr. Barbara Mills: Regents’ Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona and Curator of Archaeology at the Arizona State Museum, Dr. Mills is one of the foremost experts on the social networks, migrations, and ceremonial practices of Chacoan society. Her work integrates dynamic social network analysis, ceramic studies, and Indigenous collaboration to explore why people gathered — and eventually dispersed — from Chaco Canyon. Connect with Barbara: Website: https://anthropology.arizona.edu/person/barbara-mills  About Phillip Tuwaletstiwa: A Native archaeologist and geodesist of Hopi heritage, Phillip Tuwaletstiwa collaborated with Anna Sofaer to scientifically validate the astronomical alignments of Chacoan buildings and petroglyphs. His work underscores the engineering and cosmological sophistication of the Chacoans — and his own DNA has been linked to ancestral burials within Pueblo Bonito. About Dr. Robert Weiner: Postdoctoral Fellow in the Dartmouth Society of Fellows and a specialist in ritual landscapes, Dr. Weiner studies the roads, rituals, and cosmologies of the Ancestral Four Corners societies. His recent lidar and fieldwork at the Gasco Site reveals previously unknown parallel roads aligned with solstice sunrises and sacred mountains — transforming how we understand Chacoan movement and meaning. Connect with Robert: Website: https://dartmouth.academia.edu/RobWeiner    Connect with Paul Ryer & School for Advanced Research:   Website: https://sarweb.org/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sarsantafemultimedia  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-ryer-4a4889156

    52 min

  2. 12/10/2025

    How is AI Changing Archaeology / Anthropology / History / Native Studies?

    In this episode, Paul, Maurizio, Parker, Steven, and James discuss: How AI and machine learning have changed the approach to archeological research.Understanding the paradigm shift AI brings to archaeology.Multi-factorial and the human factor.Ethical considerations surrounding AI, indigenous communities, and cultural heritage. Key Takeaways: We are currently in a stage of experimentation where we are figuring out what AI and machine learning are good at doing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.Multi-factorial analysis allows for gathering and analyzing information at scale, generating new knowledge and opening up lines of questioning.AI is not an all-seeing eye to identify all archaeological sites. It will not replace the human archaeologist with human-interpretive skills. We need to be intentional about how we engage with AI technology and the types of questions we ask of it. “If we leave technology to the technology or to the technologists, we miss the point, which is ethical analysis, discussion of different ontologies and human interpretation, which is necessary in many terms.”  - Dr. Maurizio Forte Episode Resources: Artificial intelligence rethinks the past: How computers are reconstructing Etruscan and Roman landscapesVision Foundation Models in Remote Sensing: A surveyAugmenting field data with archaeological imagery survey: mapping hilltop fortifications on the north coast of Peru About Dr. Forte: Dr. Maurizio Forte is the William and Sue Gross Distinguished Professor of Classical Studies, Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University. He is a pioneer in digital archaeology, integrating technologies such as virtual reality, AI, and neuroaesthetics into the study of ancient civilizations. As the founder of the Dig@Lab at Duke, he leads interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cultural heritage and emerging technologies. Dr. Forte currently serves as an AAAS-SPTF Fellow and advisor for cultural heritage and neurodiplomacy at the U.S. Department of State. Connect with Maurizio: Website: maurizioforte.com About Dr. VanValkenburgh: Dr. Parker VanValkenburgh is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brown University and Interim Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. His research focuses on the long-term impacts of colonialism and imperialism on Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Andes. Utilizing archaeological methods, GIS, and remote sensing, he co-directs projects like the Paisajes Arqueológicos de Chachapoyas (PACha) and the Geospatial Platform for Andean Culture, History, and Archaeology (GeoPACHA). Connect with Parker: Website: vivo.brown.edu/display/pvanvalk About Dr. Wernke: Dr. Steven Wernke is a Professor and Chair of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University, where he directs the Spatial Analysis Research Laboratory and the Vanderbilt Institute for Spatial Research. His work centers on the lived experiences of Indigenous communities during the Inka and Spanish colonial periods in the Andes. By combining archaeological and documentary datasets within geospatial frameworks, he explores how new communities and landscapes emerged from colonial encounters. Connect with Steven: Website: stevenwernke.com About Dr. Zimmer-Dauphinee: Dr. James Zimmer-Dauphinee is an archaeologist specializing in computational archaeology, GIS, and machine learning. Affiliated with Vanderbilt University, his research applies AI and remote sensing to understand the spatial dynamics of colonization and Indigenous land use in the Andes. He has contributed to projects like GeoPACHA, enhancing large-scale archaeological surveys through AI-assisted satellite imagery analysis. Connect with James: Website: as.vanderbilt.edu/anthropology/bio/james-zimmer-dauphinee Connect with Paul Ryer & School for Advanced Research: Website: sarweb.org YouTube: youtube.com/@sarsantafemultimedia LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paul-ryer-4a4889156

    50 min

  3. 11/17/2025

    Welcome to In Context with SAR!

    Welcome to In Context with SAR! In this episode, Doug and Paul introduce In Context with SAR! How do the present and past shape each other? Why does understanding this matter? Investigating Humanity with SAR tackles the fascinating world of scholarly research through questions like why people left Chaco Canyon or how climate change affects migration and explores them through the perspectives of three experts across anthropology, archaeology, and the humanities more broadly. Hosted by Paul Ryer and produced by the School for Advanced Research (SAR), each episode brings together voices from the field who share real-world stories, behind-the-scenes research, and their takes on today’s challenges. Founded in 1907, SAR is a hub for groundbreaking social science and humanities research, supporting scholars and artists through residencies, seminars, and collaborations. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico SAR is also home to the Indian Arts Research Center, a leader in Native arts and museum practices. Whether you’re an academic, a student, or just someone who loves a good story, Investigating Humanity with SAR is here to bring big ideas to life. Join us as we connect history to today’s world—one question at a time. “The idea is to take some academic topics that are relevant to the wider world and provide a forum for cutting-edge scholars to get together and have a conversation about their work, but hopefully in ways which are intelligible to non-scholars.” - Paul Ryer Connect with Paul Ryer & School for Advanced Research:   Website: https://sarweb.org/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sarsantafemultimedia  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-ryer-4a4889156

    23 min
  • 3 Episodes

About

How do the present and past shape each other? Why does understanding this matter? In Context with SAR tackles the fascinating world of scholarly research through questions like why people left Chaco Canyon or how climate change affects migration and explores them through the perspectives of three experts across anthropology, archaeology, and the humanities more broadly. Hosted by Paul Ryer and produced by the School for Advanced Research (SAR), each episode brings together voices from the field who share real-world stories, behind-the-scenes research, and their takes on today’s challenges. Founded in 1907, SAR is a hub for groundbreaking social science and humanities research, supporting scholars and artists through residencies, seminars, and collaborations. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico SAR is also home to the Indian Arts Research Center, a leader in Native arts and museum practices. Whether you’re an academic, a student, or just someone who loves a good story In Context with SAR is here to bring big ideas to life. Join us as we connect history to today’s world—one question at a time.

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