Anushree, born and brought up in India, always had a special affinity towards architecture and artefacts of the country. She, therefore, decided to pursue her higher education in archaeology, but could not find any good opportunities in Indian universities or colleges. She chose the UK-based Durham University to pursue a one-year International Culture Heritage Management course (batch 2021-2022), run by Professor Robin Coningham, Chair in Archaeology at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Prior to enrolling at Durham, Anushree had graduated in History from Delhi University. “At DU, it was more about the textbooks and the notes with emphasis on the way answers needed to be written during exams to score better. It made learning monotonous. However, at Durham, I further explored the areas I was really interested in.”
Professor K. Krishnan from the department of archaeology at Baroda University, notes that there is a lot of scope for archaeological studies in India, but the right push and the will to leverage the right opportunities at the right time are lacking.
“In India, we have a beautiful geographical setting, which creates a scope for better exposure to archaeological students. Nevertheless, currently, as per the World Bank, the Indian universities’ rankings are quite low. This partnership between the Durham’s department of social sciences and health, and Indian institutions is a mutual give and take to enhance the realm of archaeological research in the country,” he says.
Anushree now plans to study PhD at Durham and doesn’t want to work in India, as she still feels there is a dearth of good resources and appropriate opportunities here.
“The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has a good library, but, going abroad, I got the confidence to explore my passion and grow in a direction I had always wanted to. In India, we don’t have such freedom and convenience to learn and explore,” she points out.
So, what is driving Indian students to study archaeology abroad?
“It is not that there is anything lacking in India. We have amazing sites and terrific archaeology. But Durham’s strength is its huge department of archaeology. We are only one of the three archaeology departments that teach conservation, material science, and the ways to analyse things. We have people who do the groundwork for heritage management, and see if there is a site that is escapading,” says Professor Emily Williams, Associate Professor for Archaeological Conservation at Durham, who has been teaching there since 2019.
Further, according to Professor Coningham, India has massive cultural resources and many of the sites are not just the isolated sites or museums, these are living sites. Apart from this, the country’s social practices and cultural behaviour make it a more favourable destination for exploring the field of archaeology. The way forward is a healthy partnership.
Durham University’s Department of Social Sciences and Health has recently partnered with Indian institutions to undertake joint research and workshops, faculty exchange, teachers’ training and certificate courses. Perhaps, this tie-up will improve the scope of learning for aspiring archaeology students and help to aid the country’s ailing research system.
