Dan Hicks (archaeologist)
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Dan Hicks | |
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Born | 1972 (age 51–52) Spennymoor, County Durham, England |
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Website | www |
Dan Hicks, FSA (born 1972) is a British archaeologist and anthropologist. He is Professor of Contemporary Archaeology at the University of Oxford, Curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum, and a Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford. His research is focused on contemporary archaeology, material culture studies, historical archaeology, and the history of archaeology, anthropology, and museum collections.[1][2]
Early life and education
Hicks was born in 1972 in Durham, England. He was educated at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Birmingham, where he was taught by R. F. Langley.[3] He studied archaeology and anthropology at St John's College, Oxford, gaining a first class honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. He received his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in archaeology and anthropology from the University of Bristol.[4]
Professional career
Hicks is Professor of Contemporary Archaeology at the University of Oxford and Curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum.[5] He was previously Lecturer in Archaeology and Anthropology at St John's College, Oxford, Lecturer in Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol, and Research Fellow in Archaeology and Anthropology at Boston University. Hicks worked as a field archaeologist in the local authority and private sector in the 1990s.[6][7] He has conducted fieldwork in the UK, the eastern Caribbean, and the eastern United States, and has published on archaeological and ethnographic collections from around the world.[8]
Hicks has appeared on television and radio,[9] including BBC Radio 4's In Our Time[10] and Making History.[11] In 2017-18 he was the Junior Proctor of the University of Oxford. Hicks has also served as a Non-Executive Director of Museum of London Archaeology, a Member of Council and Trustee of the Society of Antiquaries of London, a Trustee and Delegate of Oxford University Press, and a Trustee and Member of Council of the University of Oxford.[6] In 2019, Hicks co-curated the major exhibition Lande: The Calais ‘Jungle’ and Beyond at the Pitt Rivers Museum, with Majid Adin, Shaista Aziz, Caroline Gregory, Sarah Mallet, Nour Munawar, Sue Patridge, Noah Salibo and Wshear Wali.[12]
Hicks's 2020 book The Brutish Museums was named one of the New York Times Best Arts Books of 2020,[13] and was described as "a startling act of conscience" by Ben Okri,[14] as "masterful" by the LA Review of Books,[15] and by The Guardian as "A beautifully written, carefully argued book".[16] The book has also been criticised for being politically zealous and intellectually dishonest; Professor Nigel Biggar of the University of Oxford wrote that "Dan Hicks has manifestly failed".[17]
Hicks has written comment and opinion pieces in a range of publications such as The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Independent, often covering issues of UK heritage policy, African cultural restitution, and archaeology.[18] He has campaigned online for the Labour Party and is a vocal critic of the Conservative Party, tweeting "Fuck the Tories." during the 2019 General Election.[19]
Honours
On 24 January 2008, Hicks was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA).[20] He is also a full Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (MCIfA). In 2017-18 Hicks was Visiting Professor at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. In 2017, Hicks was awarded the Rivers Memorial Medal by the Royal Anthropological Institute.[21]
Books
- Hicks, Dan (2020). The Brutish Museums: the Benin Bronzes, colonial violence and cultural restitution. Pluto Press. ISBN 978-0-7453 4176-7.
- Hicks, Dan; Mallet, Sarah (2019). Lande: the Calais "Jungle" and Beyond. Bristol University Press. ISBN 978-1-5292-0618-0.
- Hicks, Dan (2019). Archaeology and Photography: time, objectivity and archive. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-3500-2968-2. (edited with Lesley McFadyen).[1]
- Hicks, Dan (2013). World Archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum: a characterization. Archaeopress. ISBN 978-1-90-573958-5. (edited with Alice Stevenson).[2]
- Hicks, Dan (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Material Culture Studies. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-921871-4. (edited with Mary C. Beaudry).
- Hicks, Dan (2007). The Garden of the World: An Historical Archaeology of Sugar Landscapes in the Eastern Caribbean. Archaeopress (Studies in Contemporary and Historical Archaeology 3, British Archaeological Reports International Series 163). ISBN 978-1-4073-0046-7.
- Hicks, Dan (2007). Envisioning Landscape: Situations and Standpoints in Archaeology and Heritage. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press (One World Archaeology 52). ISBN 978-1-59874-281-7. (edited with Laura McAtackney and Graham Fairclough).
- Hicks, Dan (2006). The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85375-0. (edited with Mary C. Beaudry).
References
- ^ "Dan Hicks, St Cross College, University of Oxford". St Cross College, Oxford.
- ^ "Dan Hicks, University of Oxford". School of Archaeology, Oxford University.
- ^ Langley, R.F. (2006). Journals. Shearsman Press.
- ^ "web page for Dan Hicks, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford". University of Oxford.
- ^ "Dan Hicks, website".
- ^ a b "About Dan Hicks". Dan Hicks. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Legacies of violence". The Economist. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ Hicks, Dan (2013). World Archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum: a characterization. Oxford: Archaeopress.
- ^ "Dan Hicks, media". Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "In Our Time, 28 February 2013". BBC Radio 4.
- ^ "Making History, 28 July 2015". BBC Radio 4.
- ^ "Lande: The Calais 'Jungle' and Beyond". www.prm.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Smith, Roberta; Cotter, Holland; Farago, Jason; Mitter, Siddhartha (26 November 2020). "Best Art Books of 2020". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "History of Art Research Seminar: The Brutish Museums | Edinburgh College of Art". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ Thompson, Erin. "The Museum as Weapon". LA Review of Books.
- ^ Riley, Charlotte. "The Brutish Museums by Dan Hicks review". The Guardian.
- ^ "Whites and wrongs | Nigel Biggar". The Critic Magazine. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Essays — D A N | H I C K S". D A N | H I C K S. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Dan Hicks on Twitter: "Fuck the Tories."". 13 December 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Fellows Directory - Hicks". Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Professor Dan Hicks is awarded the Rivers Medal". St John's College, Oxford.
External links
- 1972 births
- Living people
- People from Durham, England
- People educated at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School
- Alumni of the University of Bristol
- Alumni of St John's College, Oxford
- English archaeologists
- English anthropologists
- English curators
- Fellows of St Cross College, Oxford
- Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
- People associated with the Pitt Rivers Museum