Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies

About the Center 

Heritage is a hot topic. It has become a major focus of interest nationally and internationally and draws on such fields as archaeology, ethnology and history. Issues of fundamental importance in community organization and structure that link past to present include in- and out-migrations of distinct ethnic groups; co-mingling and merging of ethnic groups resulting in new social formations; and social, economic and political inequalities.

In short, we view the concept of “community” not as a bounded, self-contained entity but as a mosaic of interacting and continually evolving social and ethnic formations. Snapshots of the mosaic at different points in time provide a framework for investigating historical changes in the community. This diachronic perspective allows an examination of the larger regional, and perhaps global, context that figures strongly in the changing complexion of a community.

The Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies (CHAS) brings together scholarly research, education and public outreach with a broad focus on heritage, identity and community engagement. Our core is a group of Montclair State University faculty members from Anthropology, Classics and General Humanities and Earth and Environmental Studies. Our work ranges from archaeological excavations to interviews of descendant community members, to collaboration with museums and historical societies.

Our Goals 

The Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies at Montclair State aims to:

1. Promote research, including local field schools, public programs, exhibits, lectures and workshops.
2. Engage students, scholars and the local community in these efforts.
3. Develop new paths for outreach to the community (including schools, nonprofit organizations and institutions, and the general public).
4. Involve a wide range of disciplines in our work, including scholars and practitioners of the humanities and social sciences, the natural sciences, the arts, archaeology, heritage studies and preservation, and the management of cultural resources (CRM).

Our Projects 

Geographically, our work takes place in New Jersey and surrounding areas, as well as in other parts of the world where faculty, students and community members with common interests are engaged.

On campus, we offer an interdisciplinary minor in archaeology that incorporates courses in these departments as well as several taught by the Art History faculty, and we sponsor two ongoing lecture series on archaeology and heritage studies.  

Off-campus, our work ranges from archaeological excavation to public programs for students and community to collaboration with museums and historical societies.  Geographically, our current work takes place in three widely separated parts of the world: the New York-New Jersey area, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.