Assistant Professor
Geography, Anthropology, & Tourism
Assistant Professor
Anthropology
Contact
Office
Ebenezer D. Bassett Hall
416
Biography

Elizabeth Clay is a historical and anthropological archaeologist. At Central, she is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and directs the Archaeology Laboratory for African and African Diaspora Studies.

Dr. Clay’s research interests include the comparative study of slavery and freedom in the colonial Americas, French colonialism and postcolonialism, and critical cultural heritage. Her methodologies engage with archaeological excavation and collections-based analyses, archival research, the study of landscapes, community-based collaborations, and remote sensing technologies. Her most recent projects investigate the afterlives of slavery in French Guiana, an overseas department of France in South America, using methods from anthropology, history, and Caribbean Studies. 

Education
Anthropology
University of Pennsylvania
2021
French Cultural Studies
Columbia University
2010
Anthropology & American Studies
Washington College
2008
Courses Taught

ANTH 140 Introduction to Anthropology

ANTH 150 Introduction to Archaeology

ANTH 201 Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, and Ethics

ANTH 322 Historical Archaeology 

ANTH 402 Space, Place, and People: The Archaeology of Landscapes

ANTH 420 African Diaspora Archaeology