Students are invited to apply for the Program for Early Modern Southeast Asia Archaeology Field School in Banda Islands, Indonesia, tentatively scheduled for October 1-31, 2024. Deadline: March 15, 2024

The Program for Early Modern Southeast Asia (PEMSEA) is calling for applications to the 2024 Field School in the Banda Islands, Indonesia, tentatively scheduled for October 1-31, 2024. Students will participate in community-based archaeological heritage research, learn archaeological survey, excavation and field lab methods, and conduct public outreach activities.

Fieldwork will focus on early modern settlement sites pre-dating European arrival in the islands. Local and foreign students will work together with community members, and research results will be shared with the community through public programs and exhibits. Program participants will live in simple guest houses and have the option to engage with other cultural and natural heritage experiences during the field school.

The program will be co-directed by Dr. Peter Lape (Department of Anthropology and Burke Museum, University of Washington, USA), Alqiz Lukman and Atina Winaya (Research Center for Environmental Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, and Cultural Sustainability, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional, Indonesia), in collaboration with other scholars and institutions. The program is funded in part by the Henry Luce Foundation’s Luce Southeast Asia Initiative, complemented by funding from the UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA International Institute and other sources. Undergraduate and graduate students from the USA, Indonesia and other SE Asian institutions will be selected through a competitive process. Costs of roundtrip airfare (from Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle), field accommodation, meals, and ground travel for students will be covered by PEMSEA. Students are responsible travel expenses from their home to LA, SF or Seattle for the flight to Indonesia, personal expenses and any tuition costs associated with optional college credits.

PEMSEA is a partnership between the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and the University of Washington Department of Anthropology.

Eligibility and Credit

• This program is particularly suited to both undergraduate and graduate students interested in the archaeology of colonialism, climate and environmental change, maritime trade, community archaeology and heritage studies.
• Students may have the option to take credit-bearing courses through their respective institutions (i.e. directed research). 
• Students should complete or plan to complete a SE Asia-themed course at an institution of higher education.
• We particularly welcome applications from traditionally underrepresented students and US-based Southeast Asian heritage students.  

Application 

Prospective students must submit an online application (Google account required) by March 15, 2024; which requires:

• answers to questions about previous experience and goals
• copies of unofficial transcripts;
• contact information for one academic/professional reference

Please check for a confirmation email from us once we have received your application.

Questions?

Contact Peter Lape: plape@uw.edu