Author: Emily Hayflick

The North American Archaeology Department of the American Museum of Natural History offers Lab Researcher Internship positions in the North American Archaeology Lab (NAARCH Lab) for undergraduates, recent graduates, and graduate students. The interns will handle, store, and analyze a wide variety of artifacts from southeastern North America. Lab interns have the opportunity to work with faunal remains, lithics, Native American and European ceramics, Spanish colonial artifacts, and numerous other material types. Lab work typically consists of washing, cataloging, and organizing recent collections as well as data management. Additional projects have involved fine-grained sorting of excavated materials, non-destructive analysis using PXRF, and basic level artifact analysis and documentation. In addition to lab work, interns will also be considered for our ongoing fieldwork program in Georgia, USA (offered only for the fall and spring semester). Our fieldwork package offers room and board, transportation, and a monetary stipend for the duration of the trip, usually 2-3 weeks.

Individuals interested in joining the NAARCH Lab Internship should be highly motivated, patient, detail-oriented, and professional. Prior archaeological experience in either the field or in the lab is not necessary but will be a factor in our selection. The application form can be found at: http://www.amnh.org/research/anthropology/policies-links/internship-program, and is also attached at the bottom of the flyer. Remember to specify your interest in North American Archaeology on the application.

The internships are unpaid volunteer positions. A paid position is possible dependent on departmental funding. You may indicate your interest in a paid position on the application, but please be aware that checking only the paid position box may affect your chances. Course credit can be offered to those individuals currently enrolled in an accredited school of higher learning. The North American Archaeology Lab offers three internship sessions a year (summer, fall, and spring). The NAARCH department asks interns to commit three days a week, for a period of 10 weeks per semester. The number of interns accepted varies according to the research goals per semester.

Internship Application Deadlines 2024

• Summer Session (June to August), submit January 1 – March 1

• Fall Session (September to December), submit June 4 – August 4

• Spring Session 2025 (January to May): submit October 1 – December 1

More here. 

MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 17, 2025

The Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) is pleased to announce the launch of its
new Summer Research Fellowship Program. This program offers a unique opportunity
to spend 4-6 weeks in Santa Fe, New Mexico working on a research project related to
MOIFA’s renowned folk art collection of over 163,000 objects and MOIFA’s Bartlett
Library and Archives collections, and engaging with MOIFA staff members and the local
community. A vibrant city for art and culture, Santa Fe was the first city designated as a
Creative City in the United States by UNESCO, appointed in 2005 for its Craft and Folk
Art community. This pilot program will run for two years (2025-2026), with the fellowship
scheduled between June 1 st and August 31 st each year.
We welcome applications from scholars, independent researchers, public folklorists and
other public scholars, graduate students, nonprofit and community arts administrators,
and practitioners with a strong interest in folk and traditional arts, cultural traditions,
folklore, ethnomusicology, heritage studies, museum studies, and related fields. We
encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds.
Fellowship Award Includes:
* $2,500 Fellowship Honorarium
* Travel allowance to reimburse costs to and from Santa Fe
* Stipend for lodging, per diem allowance, and transportation during fellowship
Application and Selection Process:
Prospective fellows should apply through the online portal on MOIFA’s website.
Applicants will describe their research, how a MOIFA fellowship would enhance or
contribute to their work, how their interest in folk and traditional arts, cultural heritage,
and/or museums developed, and which areas of the museum collection they are most
interested in exploring. Information about MOIFA’s collection and the Bartlett Library
and Archives is available online.
All complete applications will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel of scholars and
practitioners drawn from MOIFA and a range of universities and other cultural
institutions. They will be evaluated on the basis of the proposal’s conceptualization and
merit, the applicant’s ability to carry out the proposed research, the suitability of
selected materials in MOIFA’s collections and archives, the likelihood the research can
be completed in the requested time, and the project’s potential to increase knowledge of
MOIFA’s collections and archives, bring new perspectives to them, and enhance
meaningful public engagement.
For more information on the MOIFA Summer Research Fellowship see here .

26 October 2024, Interview via NPR

NPR’s Scott Simon speaks to director Mati Diop about her new documentary, “Dahomey.” The film follows the return of royal treasures plundered by French forces.

Job Summary

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University seeks an individual for the position of NAGPRA Coordinator to support the Peabody’s implementation of NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act).  This individual’s responsibilities help to further the Peabody’s institutional goals of ethical stewardship, including fostering relationship building, collaborative dialogue, and diverse perspectives. This is a 27 month term position reporting to the Associate Director of NAGPRA.

Position Description

• Works with sensitive collections and content which requires attentiveness to university and cultural protocols.
• Conducts and coordinates consultation, inventory research, and report production for implementation of NAGPRA work.
• Creates materials required for NAGPRA implementation and committees.
• Facilitates use of the collection for NAGPRA implementation and responds to inquiries about the collection in writing, by telephone, or during visits and according to NAGPRA implementation requirements.
• Coordinates with other Museum departments and representatives to facilitate consultation and physical transfer of collections under NAGPRA.
• Compiles and updates data on NAGPRA implementation, including documenting consultations and correspondence records and outcomes.
• Performs other duties as required.

Basic Qualifications

BA in a relevant discipline such as anthropology, archaeology, Indigenous or American studies, or museum studies and two years professional experience in a museum, archaeological, and/or indigenous heritage or research center.  Masters degree will be considered in lieu of experience requirement.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• The position requires strong analytical writing and research skills with attention to detail and accuracy and the ability to synthesize multiple lines of information;
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team environment;
• Discretion and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage multiple project timetables.
• Strong ties to North American Indigenous communities preferred.
• Knowledge of The Museum System (TMS) or other museum collections management systems and museum cataloguing procedures and descriptive standards preferred.
• An understanding of historic and contemporary approaches to museum collections and indigeneity and anthropological research practices and methodologies.
• Strong experience with NAGPRA implementation (consultation and inventory/report production) preferred.

The James W. Scott Regional Research Fellowships promote awareness and innovative use of archival collections at Western Washington University, and seek to forward scholarly understandings of the Pacific Northwest. Fellowship funds are awarded in honor of the late Dr. James W. Scott, a founder and first Director of the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, and a noted scholar of the Pacific Northwest region. Up to $1000 funding is offered to support significant research using archival holdings at WWU’s Center for Pacific Northwest Studies (CPNWS), a unit of Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections.

Fellowship Requirements

Applications are accepted from individuals in doctoral programs as well as individuals who have finished the PhD. Successful applicants will be expected to:

• Spend approximately one week examining CPNWS holdings in support of their research
• Share a presentation about some aspect of their research during the same calendar year in which the award is offered and accepted. Presentations will be recorded and made available to the public via WWU’s institutional repository, CEDAR (format of delivery may vary depending on topic or time of year)

Applications

CPNWS is currently accepting applications for the 2025 awards, with a deadline of January 31, 2025 and award announcements expected by the end of February 2025.

Applications must be submitted by email to Ruth.Steele@wwu.edu (please include “Scott Fellowship Application” in the subject line), and contain:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Research plan outlining on-site use of CPNWS holdings and proposed presentation topic
• Two letters of recommendation

Detailed guides to archival collections at CPNWS can be accessed and searched on the Center’s website and the Archives West platform (please be sure to narrow results by name of repository, for example, “Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies”).

For more information about collections or the application process, please contact CPNWS Archivist Ruth Steele at Ruth.Steele@wwu.edu or (360) 650-7747. Funds will be awarded after a Fellow has conducted research at CPNWS and delivered their presentation. Applicants are advised that funds may be subject to taxation in accordance with the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, and that they may require a U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number (i.e. SSN or ITIN) to receive funds.

More here. 

Transcultural Materiality in the Work of Magdalene Odundo

A Reflection on the 2023 Ivan Karp Workshop in Museum Anthropology, organized by the Council for Museum Anthropology

By Annissa Malvoisin, via Anthropology News, 12 September 2024

Spot-lit sweeping ceramic vases made by the artist Dame Magdalene Odundo were the centerpieces of the exhibition Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects presented at the Gardiner Museum from October 2023 to April 2024. Organized by Sequoia Miller and Dame Odundo, the presentation was a transhistorical and transcultural journey through Odundo’s methodology and approach to making her matchless ceramic vessels. Carbonized and orange-ochre works produced throughout her career highlighted the gallery, while objects from around the world huddled around them, creating a pendulum of inspiration clearly reflected in Odundo’s work. This transcultural encounter formed the basis of the exhibition and of the learnings I received during the second annual Council for Museum Anthropology’s Ivan Karp Workshop in Museum Anthropology during the 2023 American Anthropological Association (AAA) Annual Meeting in Toronto.

Following the inaugural Ivan Karp Worksop in Museum Anthropology in 2022 in Seattle, I had the privilege of participating in the succeeding iteration: Clay, Ceramics, Curation. Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects was a nucleus for the workshop, hosted with the Association of Black Anthropologists, to bring scholars and practitioners of varying disciplines to reflect upon collaborative curatorial approaches and storytelling through objects and materiality. The workshop was led by Senior Curator at the museum, Dr. Karine Tsoumis, and brought attendees on a material and visual journey through Odundo’s ceramic practice. Inspired by artistic and cultural outputs by communities in Africa, Europe, East Asia, and North America, Odundo’s cascading and gravity-defying vessels found grounding in multiple art forms—with inspiration from a Ladi Kwali stoneware jar to Greek Attic vases.

More here. 

Location

Baltimore, MD, 21218

Open Date

Oct 14, 2024

Salary Range or Pay Grade

$102,500 – $120,500

Deadline

Nov 24, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Description

The Department of Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University seeks a scholar at the Assistant Professor level with a focus on Inter-Asian Movements. Applicants should demonstrate interests in aesthetics, language and texts in translation, religious traditions, visual and/or sonic media, ritual and performance, and/or environmental humanities, that are explored through cross-regional linkages and circulations, and deeper strata of history than that of the modern nation-state within the Asian region.  The scholar may come from anthropology and historical anthropology, religious studies, museum studies and other fields of humanistic studies.  The scholar must be exemplary in showing how inter-regional, interdisciplinary, and conceptually and methodologically ambitious work may be done to transcend scholarly silos and essentialist identities.

Qualifications

A Ph.D. is required, but we will accept applications from doctoral students expected to fulfill Ph. D degree requirements by July 1, 2025.

There are a few more spaces left for the Ivan Karp Workshop! The application period has been extended until November 1, 2024

2025 WSECS Conference
Conference Theme: The Unwritten Word: Alternative Texts, Epistemologies & Ontologies
Date: Friday, February 14 to Saturday, February 15
Location: University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Organizer: ‘Ilaheva Tua’one
Panel Proposal Deadline: November 1, 2024
Paper Proposal Deadline: November 1, 2024
Call For Proposals: WSECS 2025 CFP
Conference Program: TBA

More here.