Dr. Howard Morphy

Biography

Howard Morphy is an Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the Australian National University. He previously served as the founding Director of the Research School of Humanities and the Arts at the same institution. Before returning to ANU in 1997, he held a chair in Anthropology at University College London and spent a decade as a curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. Morphy is an expert in visual anthropology and has co-edited significant publications in the field, including 'Anthropology Art: Reader' (2006) and 'Rethinking Visual Anthropology' (1997). His notable works include the monograph 'Yolngu Art, Ancestral Connections' (1991) and the general survey 'Aboriginal Art' (1998). He has conducted extensive fieldwork with the Yolngu people of Northern Australia and curated significant exhibitions, including 'Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilisation' at the British Museum. Furthermore, he contributed to the Blue Mud Bay Native Title Claim, which recognized Indigenous ownership of intertidal zones. Morphy’s research interests lie in the intersections of museum anthropology, aesthetics, performance, and Aboriginal social organization. His recent projects focus on developing methodologies for mapping cultural data and collaborating with museums to bridge connections with Indigenous communities and their collections.

Research Interests

Experience