Dr. Shayla Monroe

Biography

Shayla Monroe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University. She specializes in faunal analysis and social zooarchaeology primarily focused on the regions of Sudan and Egypt. Monroe's dissertation, which she completed in 2021 at the University of California, Santa Barbara, examined the acquisition of cattle at the ancient Egyptian colonial fortress of Askut, shedding light on the implications of cultural contact and power dynamics between pastoralists and non-pastoralists. Her research interests encompass African pastoralism, zooarchaeology, political ecology, and the impacts of climate change on intergroup cooperation and conflict. Prior to her current role, she was involved in archaeological work along the 3rd Cataract of the Nile River in Sudan and has examined colonial site dynamics at various significant locations. Monroe also aims to map social networks and relationships among pastoralists in the Middle Nile Valley during the Late Neolithic to the end of the Bronze Age.

Research Interests

Experience