Dr. Elizabeth Greene, Associate Professor of Classics at The University of Western Ontario, holds the Canada Research Chair in Roman Archaeology. Her work on Roman ruins near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England looks at everyday objects like leather footwear. History is written by the winners, they say, and as a result, the voices of women are often left out of historical narratives. But by looking closer at the archaeological record, Dr. Greene has been able to discover a lot more about everyday life in Roman society. It’s an approach to history that challenges our assumptions about how the world works.

Dr. Lamia Balafrej of UCLA is an art historian specializing in the medieval Islamic period. Her work illuminates the connection between slavery and technology, which remains an important feature of the global economy today.

Prof. Thy Phu of Western University is an English literature scholar who studies the discursive role of photographs in society. Her exhibit of family photos at the Royal Ontario Museum asks us to reconsider our assumptions about families.