Dr. Cressida Fforde

Biography

Cressida's doctoral research investigated the history of the removal and subsequent study of Indigenous human remains by European institutions during the 19th century, particularly the rise of the reburial movement. After completing her PhD at the University of Southampton in the UK in 1998, she continued to work in the field of repatriation, engaging with Indigenous communities and museums across Australia, Hawaii, New Zealand, and the UK, with a focus on the identification of ancestral remains and conducting archival research. She has extensive experience as a cultural heritage consultant, leading a range of repatriation projects both in the UK and internationally. Cressida contributed to community projects across the UK, emphasizing local heritage through oral history interviews, museum exhibitions, community publications, and online presentations to share information. In January 2009, she joined the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) as the Coordinator for Research Publications and Public Programs, a role in which she convened the AIATSIS National Indigenous Studies Conference and edited the journal Australian Aboriginal Studies. She served as the Deputy Director of the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at ANU from November 2011 until December 2019, and has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies at ANU since January 2020.

Research Interests

Experience