Christopher C. Fennell

Professor, Department of Anthropology
Faculty Affiliate, Center for African Studies
Faculty Affiliate, Department of African American Studies
Professor, College of Law (by courtesy)

About

Chris Fennell, professor of anthropology and law, has a background in law, archaeology, and anthropology, and has conducted archaeological investigations at 19th century sites in Illinois, Virginia, and South Carolina with grant support by the National Science Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities. After clerking for the Honorable Jane R. Roth (D. Del./3d Circuit), he was a practicing attorney for several years in Washington, D.C. in the areas of antitrust, contracts, product liability, torts, false claims, and securities disputes.

He taught at the University of Virginia, Roosevelt University, Texas State University, and the University of Texas Law School before joining the faculty of the Department of Anthropology in 2004, and teaches as a visiting professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School. Fennell offers law school courses on anthropology, law, social norms, and the dynamics of racism, as well as archaeology courses for undergraduate and graduate students, and has received a number of awards for teaching excellence.

Professor Fennell served as the director of Graduate Studies and associate head of the Department of Anthropology from 2010-13 and currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Society for Historical Archaeology and the executive board of the Collaborative for Cultural Heritage and Museum Practices. He is the founding editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage (Maney Press). His publications include the book Crossroads and Cosmologies: Diasporas and Ethnogenesis in the New World (University Press of Florida, 2007), for which he received the 2009 John Cotter award from the Society for Historical Archaeology and the 2010 Gustave Arlt award from the Council for Graduate Schools for outstanding contributions to the humanities. His latest book is Broken Chains and Subverted Plans: Ethnicity, Race, and Commodities (University Press of Florida 2017).

Follow Professor Fennell on Twitter @ccfennell.

Department of Anthropology bio

Areas of Expertise

Archaeology
Anthropology
Law