The Future of the Past Lab

Shaping the future of antiquity, one conversation at a time.

The Future of the Past Lab is an initiative within the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures (CNRC) at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. As a group of scholars representing a wide range of disciplines, we founded the lab out of a desire to use our unique, interdisciplinary position to advance discussions about systems of injustice present in the study of antiquity. We have created this space for hosting conversations with scholars from around the country and world to discuss:

• the systems of power embedded in the histories of our fields, systems that have favored particular dominant perspectives
• how these systems have perpetuated today in our undergraduate and graduate curricular, as well as in our scholarship
• how we can change our systems and practices to remove barriers for under-represented individuals and worldviews and to engage in more just ways of educating our students and performing our research.

If you have any questions about our work or about how to get involved, reach out to our Director, Noah Segal (nsegal@umn.edu)