Kaitlin M. Brown
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communityarchlab.com
Kaitlin M. Brown
@communityarchlab.com
Assistant Professor at California State University Northridge and head of the Community Archaeology Lab. Focused on the intersections of public archaeology, collaborative methods, and heritage preservation. Tenure-track mom navigating a work-life balance.
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I'm launching a blog about my new class, ANTH 575: Advanced Ethnographic Research Methods. It bridges archaeology, ethnography, & oral histories. We're partnering with a local tribe to reclaim their heritage. #Ethnography #PublicArchaeology #Communityarchlab

communityarchlab.com/blog/ethnogr...
Reimagining Archaeology: Collaborative Futures through Ethnography — COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY LAB
communityarchlab.com
Reposted by Kaitlin M. Brown
📢📢 OUT NOW: 'Training for Transformation: Rethinking Archaeological Readiness in California and Beyond' - a #blog by Kaitlin Brown to accompany new research in the #SAA journal @saa-aap.bsky.social: ⛏️🎓 https://cup.org/47HcnKE

#archaeology
#openaccess
Training for Transformation: Rethinking Archaeological Readiness in California and Beyond « Archaeology# « Cambridge Core Blog
“You get in, you get out, and you get the job.” That line from a recent The CRM Archaeology Podcast (Ep 315) about academia's responsibility to CRM and vice versa stuck with me. It resonated because it echoes a broader shift happening across higher educ...
www.cambridge.org
November 13, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Kaitlin M. Brown
I love everything about this - the essay, the history, the ideas, and the art project it brings you to encounter at the end
Over on the #Extinct blog, I have an essay about Mark Dion's temporary @tarpits.org show, Excavations. (If you're in Los Angeles, go see it!) I write about the trouble with tar, discomfiting exhibits, and, of course, dire wolves. #paleo #pleistocene #deextinction

www.extinctblog.org/extinct/2025...
Troubling Times at the Tar Pits: Mark Dion’s Excavations Amidst Other Historical Mischiefs — Extinct
In which Alison Laurence looks to La Brea's past and present during dire times
www.extinctblog.org
July 15, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Ethnotour through an Indigenous landscape—what some see as oil fields, others know as a place of deep connection. Place names carry history, memory, and meaning, shaping how we understand the past. #ethnotour #archaeology #ANTH575
communityarchlab.com/blog/ethnotour
The Ethnotour Experience: Listening to Land, Story, and Memory — COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY LAB
This week’s class took us beyond readings and discussions and into the field. Our field trip, guided by the Tribal Chairman of the BVBMI, Matthew Vestuto, was described as an ethnotour—a journey throu...
communityarchlab.com
February 18, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Who Tells the Story? In ANTH 575, students use oral history and CBPR to center Indigenous voices in archaeology and rethink heritage preservation. The future of the field is collaborative. Here’s the Week 2 Blog! #Anth575 #OralHistory

communityarchlab.com/blog/who-tel...
Who Tells the Story? Shifting Power in Archaeological Narratives — COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY LAB
If last week’s class was about setting the stage for a different kind of archaeology—one that centers community voices and collaborative methodologies—this week was about thinking through how to mak...
communityarchlab.com
February 2, 2025 at 1:52 AM
I'm launching a blog about my new class, ANTH 575: Advanced Ethnographic Research Methods. It bridges archaeology, ethnography, & oral histories. We're partnering with a local tribe to reclaim their heritage. #Ethnography #PublicArchaeology #Communityarchlab

communityarchlab.com/blog/ethnogr...
Reimagining Archaeology: Collaborative Futures through Ethnography — COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY LAB
communityarchlab.com
January 29, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Reposted by Kaitlin M. Brown
New paper on the origins of money:

The Trade Theory of Money: External Exchange and the Origins of Money | Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory search.app/9dcq11xvuVG4...
The Trade Theory of Money: External Exchange and the Origins of Money - Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
For over a century, scholars have debated the merits of two competing theories for the origins of money. The commodity theory of money has traditionally held that money developed as a medium of exchan...
search.app
January 21, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Amid the chaos of the LA fires, I kept reading. This past week+, I finished Jason De León's Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling. I’ve always admired his journey—from Mayan archaeology to diving into work that feels so immediate and real.
January 12, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Kaitlin M. Brown
Some terminal Ted Talk Brain in the NYT today:
If it's true that millions of young people is not prepared for the workforce, we're probably going to need a more meaningful solution than teachers slightly changing the phrasing of their classroom instruction.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/o...
January 2, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Just finished Being and Becoming Indigenous Archaeologists by George Nicholas (2010). Loved reading personal stories. Every author faced challenges in their communities and higher ed. Going to use chapters in my World Prehistory and North American Indians classes for global Indigenous perspectives.
December 30, 2024 at 11:54 PM
The first book I got through this last week is Ethnographic Archaeologies (2008) by Castañeda & Matthews. I’m definitely late to the party on this one! Essential for archaeologists, especially in CA, it’s packed with insights for those looking to think beyond traditional applications of archaeology.
December 23, 2024 at 1:22 AM
Starting a one-chapter-a-day challenge for the new year! With two kids & a busy schedule, the bite-sized chunk seems doable—could be up to 25 books a year. Mostly archaeology & education, but no strict theme. Excited to tackle my unread list & share updates!
December 23, 2024 at 12:54 AM
Reposted by Kaitlin M. Brown
I made a Historical Archaeology (and adjacent historians in some cases) starter pack! This is a trickier niche group, because that term means different things in different places. This one has lots of room, so let me know if you'd like to be added! 🧪🏺
go.bsky.app/AWGszDA
November 19, 2024 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Kaitlin M. Brown
This thread 🧵 collects all the #archaeology 🏺 starter packs

Share far & wide. We could all use a little more archaeology in our lives

@cjfrieman.bsky.social made the OG Archaeology and heritage list with first wave Twitter refugee scholars & orgs. Go follow Catherine now!
bsky.app/starter-pack...
November 12, 2024 at 5:46 PM