At a checkpoint in Iraq, not knowing if she'll get through, Uzma Rizvi reflects on what it means to be an archaeologist.

This story was produced as part of the Springer Storytellers series. Hear and read more at www.beforetheabstract.com

Uzma Z. Rizvi (PhD 2007, UPenn) is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Urban Studies at Pratt Institute of Art and Design, Brooklyn, where she teaches anthropology, ancient urbanism, critical heritage studies, memory and war/trauma studies and the postcolonial critique. She often finds herself trying to balance the very ancient with the very contemporary, both mediated by material things. An avid collector of experiences and thoughts, Rizvi travels extensively and utilizes those experiences to inform her research about past societies. Currently she is writing about crafting resonance in the ancient world, and is contending with the global heritage of epistemic laziness. A longtime resident of Brooklyn, she loves walking to work, and lives with her young daughter and husband. Their house is covered with books and shoes.

This story originally aired on July 17, 2015.