Volney H. Jones Collegiate Lecturer and Teaching Professor (Anthropology); Research Affiliate (UMMAA)
lcyoung@umich.eduArchaeology at Michigan; Anthropological Archaeology; Community Archaeology; Western North American Archaeology; Prehistoric Archaeology; Museum Studies
Areas of Expertise
- Community/public archaeology
- Southwestern archaeology
- Museum anthropology
Research Topics
- Small-scale farming communities
- Foodways and food sovereignty
- Community engagement
- Object biographies
I am interested in the diverse organizational strategies used by small-scale farming communities, in the past was well as the present. My area of expertise is the American Southwest. Public outreach and community engagement, especially with members of the Hopi Tribe in northeastern Arizona, are an integral part of my work.
My archaeological research examines the origins and development of small-scale farming communities in the Southwest during the 1st millennium AD and questions about diversity in communities that used different types of vernacular architecture during the 12th and early 13th centuries.
My collections-based research explores ways of reconnecting present-day Native American farmers with information about their heirloom seeds curated in museums and ways that these collections can support community-based food sovereignty initiatives.
Project Websites
Courses
- Frauds and Fantastic Claims in Archaeology
- Local Food Producers
- Museum Anthropology
- Food at U-M: Then and Now
