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Photo Credits: Filza Naveed
Clare Barker loves to experiment, and try inventive things.
That is why she opted to study molecular biology, genetics,
and classical languages during her undergraduate years at the University of
Guelph, combining her love for both the arts and the sciences.
“I’ve always been drawn to both the arts and the sciences and
I didn’t exactly take a typical route to get into Classics. I just really love
to study what I’m passionate about so I’ve been going down all sorts of
different rabbit holes. I ended up in Classical Languages and Classical Studies,
and that was a fun process,” she says.
Fascinated with ancient literature and antique
civilizations, Barker stumbled upon a delightful course on Hellenistic history
during her undergraduate years, where she ended up looking at agriculture and
the movement of plant and crop species after Alexander the Great’s conquest
across the Middle East and over to India, and discovered her passion for papyrology.
“One of the main primary sources for my research paper was
people during that time talking about sending different species to different
places, and I was looking at grapes being brought into Egypt, and people
talking about that in their personal letters, which is how I ended up looking
at papyrus, and falling in love with it,” says Clare.
A second year MA student pursuing a degree in Classics,
Clare Barker has had an adventurous time at Queen’s University.
Clare at Queen`s
Drawn to the small Classics program at Queen’s, Barker knew
she had made the right choice after consulting other students at the university
who had pursued it during their undergraduate years, and given great reviews of
the program.
“There are a number of places where you can do Classics in
Canada, but the Queens program is fairly well known as a pretty small program
where you get a lot of attention from your professors. The graduate program here
also has some extremely good researchers such as Professor George Bevan, who’s
my supervisor,” she says.
When she got in touch with professors at Queens, one of her questions,
particularly for George Bevan was whether or not she would be able to study papyrology
here, and when he said yes, Barker instinctively knew that this was the right
place for her.
“Bevan had done his PhD at the University of Toronto, and
was charged with organizing the photography of the papyrus collection and
trying to find some people who would be interested in doing some more research
on it because it hasn’t been published, described or catalogued before,” she
says.
For Barker, the high intrigue in deciphering things that had
never been read before or talked about in academia was exhilarating, and she
jumped at the opportunity to become a part of such an innovative project,
leading to her current research on describing and photographing papyri at the Thomas
Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto.
Always looking to explore new frontiers, and expand her
horizons, Barker knew she wanted to discover and get more out of her
relationship with papyrology.
The opportunity to do just that arose when she received
funding from SHRCC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), and applied
for the Michael Smith Foreign Study (MSFS) supplement, which is only available
for SHRCC winners.
“A number of people told me that if I had the opportunity, I
should apply for the MSFS because many people don’t apply for it at all. Some
people can’t go for logistical reasons. You have to be gone for at least three months,
and you usually have to make a trip out of the country,” she says.
To satisfy her own thirst for knowledge and new cultures,
Barker knew that studying abroad for a semester would be an adventure she
wanted to pursue and so she applied to Heidelberg University in Germany, one of
the most innovative and renowned centres for papyrology research.
“It was definitely an amazing experience, and an excellent
opportunity for me to practice my German as well. A lot of the papyrology
lectures were in English. They make a lot of programs as accessible as they
can, and encourage people speaking different languages to come and give
lectures,” she says.
Mesmerized by the vibrant culture there, Barker returned to
Queen’s refreshed and rejuvenated, having met some renowned researchers and teachers
from all over the world.
Now almost near the end of her MA program at Queen’s, Barker
is wistful at the prospect of leaving the place that has become home for her.
“The sense of community in my program is really great here
at Queens. We have thirteen MA students, and I’ve had a really good experience
getting to know them. It’s easy to get to know other people when you have a
small close-knit program like that,” she says.
She loves the small classes, and bonds with her colleagues
over translations of obscure texts, and admits that they are like her family.
So what’s the next adventure for Clare Barker?
“Maybe I’ll go to the US to study. Or maybe Europe. I’ve
heard Hiedelberg is nice,” she says.
The possibilities are endless.
