A Universal Story: Conversations with Richard Potts About Human Evolution Heritage

This article derives from the conversation I had with Richard Potts in June 2023 about his work at the Human Origins Program of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington D. C.). Dr. Potts is one of the most renowned paleoanthropologists for his research about early humans in Africa and the curation of the exhibit “What does it mean to be human?” at the NMNH. My primary objective was to explore his role in advancing our understanding of humanity’s evolutionary heritage within the broader discourse on world heritage. The interview, conducted in Dr. Potts’s office on June 9, 2023, was recorded and published with his informed consent. His insights shed light on various aspects of artifact acquisition, preservation, and interpretive guidance—key elements in the ongoing social and academic debates surrounding heritage. This includes a perspective rooted in the field of public archaeology that views its practice as a reflexive form of action, intended to raise awareness and foster interconnection between society and archaeological work. From this standpoint, museums serve as fundamental hubs in heritage creation, shaping aesthetic, ethnographic, archaeological, and historical perspectives in alignment with historical agendas, preservation ideologies, conflicting memories, and particular values regarding exhibition, design, and display. They highlight the complex interactions between classification and preservation, the identity narratives they encompass, the scientific and political agendas that shape them, the international networks supporting them, and the communities they cultivate through Potts’ vision.