Research & Collections
A Center for Ethical Anthropology
Teaching and research go hand in hand at the Department of Anthropology. Our faculty specialize in areas such as Indigenous anthropology, community-engaged research and practice, historical archeology and urban anthropology. Students have additional research opportunities beyond the classroom in the Ethnography Lab, Campus Archeology and the DU Museum of Anthropology (DUMA).
Faculty Research
A Cross-Disciplinary Community
Our faculty are experts in cultural anthropology, archaeology and museum anthropology. Our research analyzes human differences in the context of the material (political and economic) conditions of life. We emphasize how gender, race, ethnicity, class and other variables interact, and the consequences of these relationships for social change and development.
Meet Our Faculty
Student Research
Students put classroom knowledge into practice through fieldwork, lab work, research in DUMA and collaborations with community partners.
Explore OpportunitiesEthnography Lab
The Ethnography Lab is a hub of faculty and student collaboration, mentorship and tutoring. It offers students and faculty a space to build sustainable collaborations beyond DU.
Learn MoreCampus Archaeology
Using historical records, ground-penetrating radar technology and archaeological excavation, the Campus Archaeology initiative uncovers the many histories of DU’s campus grounds.
Learn MoreUniversity of Denver Museum of Anthropology (DUMA)
What is DUMA?
The Museum of Anthropology is home to more than 100,000 unique ethnographic and archaeological artifacts. It serves as a teaching museum and laboratory that brings together students, faculty and visiting researchers.
Student Research at DUMA
DUMA provides practical and professional experience for students to contribute to the scientific and public understanding of anthropology.
New Exhibit: Future Fossils: Art and Anthropology of the Anthropocene
A collaborative exhibition project between the University of Denver School of Art and Art History and the Department of Anthropology that reflects on the concepts of future fossils and the Anthropocene—the proposed name of the current geological epoch defined by humankind’s profound disturbances of the earth’s atmosphere and ecosystems.
Open May 5 - June 30, 2022
Learn About NAGPRA
NAGPRA provides a process for descendants and tribes to request the return of human remains and cultural items from museums and federal agencies.
Research and Collection News
International Student Researches Colorado Internment Camp Museum
Regina Huang has done her thesis work on the Amache Museum, which holds the history of Colorado’s only Japanese American internment camp during World War II.
Julian Nilsson: Driven by the Love and Study of People
Julian Nilsson has thrived studying people groups through academics, research, and a diverse array of extracurriculars.
Investing in Discovery
Associate Professor of Anthropology Esteban Gómez partnered with The GrowHaus to create a social-justice program for Denver youth.
