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Christina F. Kreps

Christina F. Kreps

Director, Museum of Anthropology and Museum & Heritage Studies. Professor, Anthropology

christina.kreps@du.edu

303-871-2688 (Office)

Sturm Hall, 2000 East Asbury Avenue Denver, CO 80208

What I do

My current positions are: Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology, Director of Museum and Heritage Studies and Museum of Anthropology

Editorial Board of the journal Museum Worlds: Advances in Research

Specialization(s)

Museum Anthropology, Anthropology and Critical theory of museums, Indigenous and Decolonizing methodologies, cross-cultural and comparative museology, museums and religion, international cultural policy and development, Southeast Asia/Indonesia/Borneo

Professional Biography

Ph.D. 1994 Univ. of Oregon. Anthropology
M.A. 1988 Oregon. International Studies
B.A. 1981 Colorado College. Anthropology
born 1956 Muncie, IN

Degree(s)

  • Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Oregon
  • MA, International Studies, University of Oregon, 1988

Professional Affiliations

  • American Anthropological Association
  • Society for Applied Anthropology
  • American Alliance of Museums (formerly American Association of Museums)

Research

I am currently conducting research and writing on religion and museums, focusing particularly on how sacred, ceremonial, an religious objects are treated in museums from a comparative and cross-cultural perspective. Using examples from my fieldwork Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the US.

I am also on several advisory and consultancy committees and panels, including for the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and a professional museum training program in Indonesia.

Areas of Research

museum anthropology
decolonizing museums
Indigenous museology
ethical stewardship of collections
art and anthropology

Featured Publications

Kreps, Christina F. Museums And Anthropology In The Age Of Engagement. London: Routledge. 2019.
Kreps, Christina F. “Appropriate Museology And The "New Museum Ethics." Special Issue On "Rethinking Sami Cultures In Museums.” Nordisk Museologi. Journal of Nordic Museology 2, S , (2016): 4-16.
Kreps, Christina F. “Cultural Heritage, Humanitarianism, And Development: Critical Links.” In Cultural Heritage And International Development. edited by Paul Basu. England: Routledge. 2015.
Pragmatic Imagination And The New Museum Anthropology. Edited by Christina F. Kreps. London: Routledge. 2024.

Performances

Christina F. Kreps, Sarah J. Magnatta, Dean S. Sobel, and Roderick MacInnes, Future Fossils: Art and Anthropology of the Anthropocene, Denver, CO, University of Denver, Museum of Anthropology, 2022.

Presentations

“Counter Narratives Of "Difficult" Museum And Heritage Practice” International Cultural Heritage Cooperation Programme On Shared Cultural Heritage, Amsterdam/Webinair, Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency of the Ministry of Culture, Education and Science , 2022.
Kreps, Christina F. “Curating Across Art And Anthropology” Barbara A. And Edward G. Hail Lecture, Providence, RI, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, 2023.
Kreps, Christina F. “"Staying With The Trouble" - Diversity And Universality” International Council Of Museums/ Committee On Ethnography, Kyoto, Japan, International Council of Museums, 2019.
Kreps, Christina F. “Collaboration As A Relational Process: Co-Creating Relationships And Making Connections” American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, American Anthropological Association, 2022.
Kreps, Christina F. “Indigenous Curation And Local Museology In Indonesia” Museums For The 21St Century: Curation, webinair, Tracing Pattern Foundation, Smithsonian Instituion, American Embassy - Jakarta, American Institute for Indonesian Studies, 2023.

Awards

  • Smithsonian Institute on Museum Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
  • Distinguished Scholar Award, University of Denver