Lydia Pyne
Writer and historian
Lydia Pyne is a writer and historian, interested in the history of science and material culture. She has degrees in history and anthropology and a PhD in biology (history and philosophy of science) from Arizona State University. Her field and archival work has ranged from South Africa, Ethiopia, and Uzbekistan, as well as the American Southwest.
Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Nautilus, Slate, History Today, Hyperallergic, and TIME, as well as Archaeology; she is currently a visiting researcher at the Institute for Historical Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.
Genuine Fakes
Is the distinction between ‘real’ and ‘fake’ as clear-cut as we think? Lydia Pyne challenges us to reflect on the social factors that inspire the creation of replicas, simulations, and forgeries. And forces us to think deeper about what authenticity and fakery really mean, at a time when such matters could hardly matter more. Where do we draw the line between real and fake? Why do we sometimes prefer an interesting story over the “ugly” truth?