Kimberly Christen
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of California at Santa Cruz
In the News
Dr. Christen was interviewed for the BBC program "Digital Planet" about her work with the Mukurtu archive. See the following links for more information on this project:
- WSU Today Online (WSU)
- Digital Dynamics Across Cultures
- ABC News story
- Chronicle article (WSU College of Liberal Arts)
- Mukurtu Archive: www.mukurtuarchive.org
She received a Northwest Academic Computing Consortium (NWACC) grant to work in conjunction with the WSU Plateau Center for American Indian Studies, the Museum of Anthropology, and the Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections unit to create the Plateau Peoples' Web Portal.
Biography
Dr. Christen received her Ph.D. from the history of consciousness department at the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2004. Her academic work focuses on contemporary global articulations of indigeneity. Specifically, since 1995, she has worked with Warumungu people from Tennant Creek, a remote town in the Northern Territory of Australia, on a range of community projects: writing a community history (Anyinginyi Manuku Apparr), producing digital video and audio recordings, and compiling archival data for use in the interpretive displays at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre.
Research Interests
Dr. Christen's research interests include global issues such as sovereignty, land rights, cultural tourism, intellectual property rights and digital "remix" as they mutate and mingle with indigenous communities.
Most recently she has been exploring the link between indigenous cultural heritage movements, digital technologies and intellectual property rights.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Christen enjoys teaching a range of classes focusing on globalization, indigenous rights, cultural tourism, modernity and nationalism. Her classes stress critical thinking and getting up out of one's chair on a regular basis.
Publications
Books
- Aboriginal Business: Alliances in a Remote Australian Town. School for Advanced Research Press, 2009.
Representative Articles
- Christen, K. 2008. Anthropology In/Of Circulation: The Future of Open Access and Scholarly Societies. Cultural Anthropology 23 (3): 559-588.
- Christen, K., C. Kelty, A. Golub, J. Brown, J. Jackson, and M. Fischer. 2008. http://blog.culanth.org/incirculation/
- Christen, K. 2008. Archival Challenges and Digital Solutions in Aboriginal Australia. SAA Archaeological Record, 8 (2): 21–24.
- Christen, K. 2007. Following the Nyinkka: Relations of Respect and Obligations to Act in the Work of Aboriginal Culture Centers. Museum Anthropology 30 (2): 101–124.
- Christen, K. 2006. Tracking Properness: Repackaging Culture in a Remote Australian Town. Cultural Anthropology 21 (3): 416–446.
- Christen, K. 2005. Gone Digital: Aboriginal Remix in the Cultural Comments. International Journal of Cultural Property 12:315–344.
Contact Dr. Christen
kachristen@wsu.edu
509-335-4177
Wilson-Short 115
Office Hours
By appointment
Course Materials
Summer 2011
Past Syllabi