| EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
| 1999 |
PhD (Archaeology and Prehistory),
University of Sheffield |
| 1994 |
MA (Anthropology), McMaster University |
| 1992 |
BA (Anthropology), McMaster University |
RESEARCH INTERESTS
As an archaeological anthropologist, Professor Denning is
fascinated by the social lives of places and things, and by
humanity's journeys from our species’ beginning to our present
diverse social realities. In her research, she works primarily
on the role of the archaeological past in the present, and the
history, philosophy, and ethics of archaeology.
Much of her work examines scholarly and popular ideas about
Others, about their relationship to us, and about how we can
know these Others. The Others in question have included the
ancient (in archaeology), the animal (in zoos), and the alien
(in SETI).
She is
particularly interested in disparate ways of knowing and
creating the past,
convergent discourses about natural and cultural heritage
preservation, and local pasts as loci of resistance and
commodification in the global present. She is also engaged by
the possibility that meaningful and inclusive public dialogues
about human history can help us cope with present and future
challenges in our own civilization.
Her previous research has addressed the use of new media in
public archaeology, the relationship of mainstream and
alternative archaeology in Britain, apocalyptic thought in
archaeology, and philosophical problems in the study of
prehistoric human health.
CURRENT TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
In 2005-2006:
ANTH 2140 6.0 - Introduction to
Palaeoanthropology and Archaeology.
ANTH 3510 3.0 -
Indigenous Peoples and Archaeology: From Conflict to Coalition.
ANTH 3130 3.0 -
Archaeology and Society: Local Pasts in a Global Present.
ANTH 3520 3.0 - The
Social Lives of Places and Things: Material Culture and the
Archaeology of the Contemporary Past.
Previous years:
ANTH 2150 6.0: Early Civilizations: Complex Societies of the
New and Old Worlds
ANTH 3000N 3.0 - Barbarian Europe
ANTH 3150 6.0: Culture, Evolution, and Ecology
CURRENT RESEARCH AND RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Please see
www.yorku.ca/kdenning/ for an overview of current work in
progress, recent conference presentations, etc.
| 2004 |
“ ‘The Storm of Progress’ and Archaeology for an online
public.” In Internet Archaeology 15, a special
issue entitled Archaeological Informatics: Beyond
Technology. Jeremy Huggett and Seamus Ross, eds. |
|
2003 |
Review of Thinking from Things: Essays in the
Philosophy of Archaeology by Alison Wylie (University
of California Press 2002). European Journal of
Archaeology 6(2). |
|
2000
|
“Fuller’s Social
Epistemology: Applied Philosophy for Archaeologists?” In Philosophy and
Archaeological Practice, C. Holtorf and H. Karlsson, eds. Göteborg:
Bricoleur Press. pp 203-221. |
|
2000
|
“On Feyerabend’s
‘Democratic Relativism’ and Archaeology: A Response to Holtorf.” In
Philosophy and Archaeological Practice, C. Holtorf and H. Karlsson, eds.
Göteborg: Bricoleur Press. pp 247-255. |
| 1999 |
“Apocalypse
past/future: Archaeology and folklore, writ large.” In Archaeology and
Folklore, A. Gazin-Schwartz and C. Holtorf, eds. London: Routledge. pp
90-105. |
|
