Lynn Meskell

Biography: Lynn's current research and teaching interests include a broad range of fields, including Egyptian archaeology, ethnography in South Africa, identity and sociopolitics, gender and feminism, and ethics. Lynn views contemporary archaeology as an anthropology of the past, a contextual and nuanced engagement with ancient culture that mirrors the ethnographic project. Her current research examines the constructs of natural and cultural heritage and the related discourses of empowerment around the Kruger National Park, ten years after democracy in South Africa. Another project is focused on the social constitution of the figurine worlds at Çatalhöyük, Turkey. As founding editor of the Journal of Social Archaeology, Lynn has attempted to forge a vehicle for this dialogue, bringing together a wide range of scholars from diverse fields to constitute the editorial panel (feminists, historians, social theorists, and ethnographers).