The Persistent Questions of the Past series is an opportunity to engage with big topics in archaeology. Archaeologists can uniquely provide deep historical insight into issues such as emergent inequality, societal resilience and collapse, mobility and migration, identity and social change, and human-environment interactions that are central to our contemporary world. Addressing these persistent issues in an era of increased research specialization requires collaborative and comparative approaches. The structure of the Winslow Workshop Series allows for in-depth, repeated discussions on important issues that would make it more likely to produce transformative scholarship.

Persistent Questions of the Past is part of the Winslow Lectureship Series at Hamilton College. The workshop is funded by an endowment from William C. Winslow for establishing an archaeological lectureship to secure lecturers from acknowledged authorities on the topics treated, which has been in place since 1943. The endowment covers all costs associated with the workshop, including travel, accommodation, and food expenses for all participants at each biennial workshop. These resources help create a collaborative environment where major breakthroughs become possible. In a funding environment where support for such intensive workshops are limited and extremely competitive, we seek to foster ideas that can lead to transformative change in archaeological research. 

Future Winslow Workshop Series will examine major topics from global perspectives. Some research topics that might make ideal candidates for in-depth exploration by a panel at during the Winslow Workshop Series include: 

● Climate Change

● Collapse and Resilience 

● Emergence of Inequality 

● Property 

● Borders and Boundaries 

● Gender, Race, and Class 

● Migration 

● Warfare and Violence 

● Collective Action 

● Food Production and Transformation 

We do not intend this list to be exhaustive or limiting. In fact, we are counting on the archaeologists that organize panels who are interested in participating in the Winslow Workshop Series to develop many other innovative topics in the future, from novel questions to deep dives back into core principles within the discipline.