Jen Shannon
Curator of Cultural Anthropology
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
I joined the CU Department of Anthropology and the CU Museum of Natural History in August of 2009 after completing a PhD in Sociocultural Anthropology at Cornell University and a year-long postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia. My interest in museums, as a museum professional and later as an ethnographer, began when I was hired as a curatorial research assistant and fieldworker for the inaugural exhibitions of the National Museum of the American Indian (1999-2002).
I am interested in the history, theory, and contemporary practice of anthropology museums and the representation of Native peoples. My research focuses on the relationships between institutions and Native peoples involved in collaborative exhibit making as well as efforts of self-representation in Native communities. My interest in critical museology is also an interest in the theory, methods and ethics of the discipline of Anthropology more broadly—including its history, legacies and future with respect to indigenous peoples' contemporary experiences, rights and representations.
Through my research and professional work I have had the opportunity to work with diverse indigenous peoples including Canadian Inuit, Australian Aboriginal, Chicago urban Indian, and Kalinago (Carib Indians of Dominica in the West Indies) communities.
Email: jshannon@colorado.edu
Website: http://spot.colorado.edu/~jshannon/