Diversity and Inclusion Research
Many of our faculty, current graduate students, and alumni are extensively involved with diversity research initiatives. Explore the academic and research endeavors of just a few of them below.
Selena Bernier
Selena Bernier is a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology: "My work examines the ways in which Indigenous perspectives are missing or misrepresented in North American archaeology, specifically in the Old Copper Culture of the Great Lakes. I advocate that Indigenous Traditional Knowledges are necessary for the interpretation of copper materials in archaeological contexts, as it would create a stronger narrative to frame what is already known spatially and contextually in the archeological literature. By examining Indigenous Traditional Knowledges of copper, environment, and geology in the Lake Superior region, the priority of interpretation lies in Indigenous stories of land and water, which creates a more holistic archaeological narrative. This examination also addresses the harmful legacy of American archaeology and explores ways to make imperative improvements."
Jaime Zolik: La Quebrada Archaeology Project
Jaime Zolik, a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology, on the La Quebrada Archaeology Project: "The La Quebrada Archaeology Project is a community-led initiative focused on the remains of enslaved African and Afro-descendant laborers in an 18th-century cemetery at the former Hacienda La Quebrada in the San Luis District of Cañete Province, Peru. In 2021, the residents of San Luis and the local heritage organization, La Mesa de Trabajo Afroperuana (The Afro Peruvian Working Group), reached out to our lab to help uncover more about these Ancestors using ancient DNA (aDNA). This initiative not only aims to celebrate Afro-Peruvian culture but also to shed light on the histories and lives of these Ancestors.
Community engagement is at the heart of this project. Our lab (Dr. Maria Nieves-Colón, Laura Pott, Jaime Zolik) uses various forms of media, including videos, brochures, and PowerPoint presentations, to communicate our research and findings to both the community and the broader public. During our annual lab visits to Peru, Dr. Maria Nieves-Colón and Jaime Zolik engage with local schools, sharing our project with children of all ages. Our goal is to demystify the aDNA analysis process and make the project accessible and engaging for people of all educational backgrounds.
Our work is a small part of the broader La Quebrada Archaeology Project, contributing to the community’s ongoing efforts to honor their Ancestors and celebrate Afro-Peruvian culture. Learn more about this community and the project at their virtual museum.
Emmanuel Kipruto Ngetich
Emmanuel Kipruto Ngetich is a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology: "I am interested in studying the genetic diversity of Eastern Africans and understanding the results of their interactions in terms of health as well as their genetic adaptation to environmental conditions. My current study looks into the population genetics and mobilities of the Abasuba, a community whose language is one of the languages facing extinction in Africa. My dissertation combines modern and ancient genetic approaches as well as ethnographic methods. I am a member of the international student advisory board (ISAB) in the university."
Panchen Lo
Panchen Lo is a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology: "With a hope to reimagine an affirming community and possible worlds beyond normativity, my research explores multiple ways and alternative paths of transitioning in trans, queer, or gender-nonconforming Taiwanese lives where gender, sexuality, body, nationality, state, law, and medicine intersect. I collaborate with trans activists working on the rights of gender recognition and resistance against hate. I am also a scholar at the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC), interested in building transnational solidarity from the global south and detoxifying the higher education system. "
Samantha Schwartz
Professor Erin L. Durban
Erin Durban's interdisciplinary research moves across and between transnational American studies, LGBTQI studies, Black studies, and disability studies. They are affiliated with UMN Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies and Global Studies.
Laura Pott
Professor Katherine Hayes
"My work broadly considers the ethics, values, and meanings of archaeology and preservation for contemporary communities, particularly those historically marginalized from the decision-making process on what gets preserved and researched. This means addressing both the content and practice of public historical scholarship: whose stories get told, who can tell them, and how can we make these professional fields more inclusive? I am an active affiliate in American Indian Studies and the Heritage Studies and Public History program."