SYNAPSE

Trans-Disciplinary Seminar Series

Synapse is a trans-disciplinary seminar series hosted by the School of Culture, History & Language at the Australian National University. Seminars showcase the research of scholars committed to exploring questions about human history that emerge at the intersection of multiple disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, archaeology, cultural evolution and ontogeny, genetics, history, linguistics, palaeoecology, and philosophy.

Presentation and participation in the Synapse series contribute to the development of a community of trans-disciplinary practice, building on networks that integrate ANU researchers with national and international colleagues. Synapse seminars are presented both in-person and online, and recordings are typically made available for those unable to participate in the initial event.

2023 series

Monday 27 Feb: Understanding human history from ancient & modern genomes – Joao Teixiera (ANU) – recording coming soon

Monday 27 Mar: The global variability and recurrence of kinship terminology – Sam Passmore (ANU) – register via Eventbrite

Monday 17 April: Flow piracy and percolation in a hydropower watershed: interceptions of Indigenous languages in upland Laos – Nick Enfield (University of Sydney) – register via Eventbrite

Monday 22 May: TBC

Monday 26 June: Ancestral Remains and Personhood in the Southern Massim: An Ethnoarchaeological Approach to Interpreting Secondary Burials – Simon Coxe

Monday 31 July: When ordinary processes lead to extraordinary outcomes: the emergence of the mixed language Light Warlpiri – Carmel O’Shannessy (ANU)

Monday 28 August: Tracking the Tombuk Eruption of Kuwae, Vanuatu: transdisciplinary approaches and results – Chris Ballard (ANU), Stuart Bedford (ANU), Sönke Stern (University of Auckland) & Shane Cronin (University of Auckland)

Monday 25 September: TBC

Monday 30 October: TBC

Monday 27 November: Title to be confirmed – Anna Florin (ANU)

Monday 11 December: Title to be confirmed – Lucy Aplin

Previously recorded seminars can be found on our YouTube channel. All available seminars for registration can be found on our Eventbrite collection.

The SYNAPSE seminar series is part of the School of Culture History & Language Flagship program.