Department of Anthropology, PhD Candidate
My name is Diane Slocum, and I entered the UNC PhD program in Anthropology in 2019. I have an MA in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University. My primary research interests include community-engaged archaeology and cultural heritage. I am especially interested in how archaeologists integrate oral history methods into their work to gain better understandings of what archaeological sites mean to local and descendent communities. My main goal is to engage in applied archaeology that allows for inclusion of local and descendant communities in decision-making processes. From 2020-2023, I served as Program Director for InHerit (Indigenous Heritage Passed to Present), affiliated with the Research Labs of Archaeology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. InHerit works with Indigenous communities in Latin America and North Carolina to document silenced stories and empower people to reshape cultural narratives. My experience in the Graduate Certificate in Participatory Research program has broadened my understanding of collaborative research and provided me with methodological tools to implement a community-engaged dissertation project in Yucatán, Mexico.