Co-investigator for Botswana and Zimbabwe
Amanda is Associate Professor at the Origins Centre, University of the Witwatersrand (WITS). She has a PhD from WITS and HdipEd from the University of South Africa.
Amanda started out as a school teacher, and then returned to university to pursue an honours degree and master’s in palaeoenvironments. In 1999, she launched the WITS Archaeological Resources Development Project (ARDP) with external funding, and wrote and produced educational materials about human evolution and archaeology. She was appointed by the then Minister of Education to a history panel to consider the inclusion of archaeology in the school curriculum. Amanda has recently been appointed to a Ministerial Task Team to decolonise and deepen scholars’ understanding of the African past, and to rewrite the school History curriculum. In the 2000s, Amanda was appointed on an academic track at WITS and became involved in the planning and management of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, representing the University on the museum storyline committee. She later worked with museum architects and developers to reconceptualise that storyline and to develop an experience space for young scholars. This exposure to new technologies and different ways of curating the past inspired Amanda to apply to manage the Origins Museum at Wits University.
Amanda’s current interests reside in the recent historical past and in contemporary issues affecting the practice of archaeology. This interest grew from a wide range of practical archaeological experiences encountered whilst conducting research and during time spent working on education and heritage projects.
My involvement with the Heritage Management sector, and Ndebele communities in the Limpopo Province in particular, forced me to recognise issues affecting communities and the role that archaeologists can play in aggravating or improving their circumstances. I have worked with human rights lawyers to highlight weaknesses in heritage compliance, which allows unscrupulous developers and government officials to exploit community land and gravesites.
As part of a small group of archaeologists concerned about the profession, its public profile and the ethics of contract archaeology (CRM), Amanda tabled recommendations at the then South African Association of Archaeologists at the 2004 Kimberley conference to change the name of the association, draw up a new constitution and formalise the process for CRM accreditation. Between 2007 and 2010, Amanda was also integral in motivating for and enabling greater collaboration between archaeologists, historians, anthropologists and oral historians, particularly those working within southern Africa, and with an interest in the last 500 years. Amanda co-edited the first conference proceedings of the 500 Year initiative and she is still committed to exposing the networks of knowledge that create and perpetuate barriers between South Africans.
In her free time Amanda is an avid cyclist, but believes her enthusiasm far exceeds her ability!
Read more about Amanda on the Wits website.