WMU News

'Inventing Western Civilization' is topic of talk

January 27, 1998

KALAMAZOO--"Inventing Western Civilization" is the topic of a free lecture to be presented at Western Michigan University Monday, Feb. 9, as part of its Visiting Scholars and Artists Program.

Dr. Thomas C. Patterson, professor of anthropology and history at Temple University, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in Room 1110 of Rood Hall.

Patterson is an authority on the historical development of anthropology and its implications for contemporary archaeological practice. He is the author or editor of 14 textbooks and monographs and more than 200 articles and papers on South American archeology and the comparative study of ancient civilizations.

In his lecture, Patterson is expected to present a critical analysis of the concept of civilization and argue that archaeologists and historians have tended to accept the benefits of civilization and seldom question its ills.

Patterson's lecture is being coordinated by the WMU Department of Anthropology. For more information, persons may contact Dr. Michael Nassaney, associate professor in the department, at (616) 387-3981.

The Visiting Scholars and Artists Program was established in 1960 and has supported some 500 visits by scholars and artists representing more than 65 academic disciplines. The chairperson of the committee that oversees the program is Dr. Linda L. Dannison, chairperson of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.


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