Christopher C. Fennell
Encyclopedia
Christopher C. Fennell (b. circa 1964 - ) is an American anthropologist and lawyer
, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology
at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His first book Crossroads and Cosmologies: Diaspora
s and Ethnogenesis
in the New World
(2008) received the John L. Cotter Award from the Society of Historical Archaeology. Fennell is editor of the African Diaspora Archaeology Network and Newsletter, and an associate of the editorial board of the International Journal of Historical Archaeology.
in 1986. He received his J.D. in 1989 from Georgetown University Law Center
.
Returning to graduate study and a second career, in 2000 he received an M.A. in anthropology from the University of Virginia
. In 2003, Fennell completed his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Virginia, where he specialized in historical archaeology
and African
diaspora
archaeology.
theory and methods. In the spring of 2001, Fennell was an instructor at Roosevelt University
in Chicago, Illinois, teaching cross-cultural anthropology. During the fall of 2003, Fennell was a lecturer at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas
, teaching an introduction to cultural anthropology. From 2003 to 2004, Fennell was Adjunct Professor of Law and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas
where he taught “Anthropology and Law” and “Social Norms and the Law.” From 2004 until now,
Fennell is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Illinois. He is also a staff member in the College of Law, teaching interdisciplinary lectures in anthropology and law, the Department of Landscape Architecture, the African American Studies Program, and the Center for African Studies.
and "peer-reviewed for outstanding intellectual quality, superior design, and educational impact." Since 2004, Fennell has been an article and book referee for various publications, including, American Anthropologist, Historical Archaeology, and Mid-Continental Journal of Archaeology.
Since 2005, Fennell has been editor of the African Diaspora Archaeology Network (ADAN) and Newsletter and an editorial board member of International Journal of Historical Archaeology.
in Illinois. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2005 and designated a National Historic Landmark
in 2009. The town site is at New Philadelphia, Illinois.
This plot of land in Pike County, Illinois
was the site of the first town platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War
. It had black and white residents, and an integrated school. As a railroad was built bordering a neighboring community, the New Philadelphia expansion seemed to come to a halt. By the early 20th century, only a few homes and families remained. Today only prairie remains with no evidence of a once-flourishing community.
During the fall and spring of 2002 and 2003, Fennell and a team from University of Illinois, University of Maryland and other institutions used topographical and historical maps to find the exact location of the New Philadelphia Site. They found plots of land with artifacts such as nails, ceramic pieces, and shards of glass, showing obvious signs of a previous settlement. The archaeologists are working with the New Philadelphia Land Trust to excavate and preserve the site and its history.
In 1999 and 2000, Fennell performed excavations and studies in the upper Potomac River
and northern Shenandoah River
region surrounding Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
. Included were an 18th century house and St. Peter's Church and School in Harper’s Valley. He examined three cultural processes: the formation and dissipation of social groups, the development of language and communication through material culture, and regional exchange systems.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His first book Crossroads and Cosmologies: Diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
s and Ethnogenesis
Ethnogenesis
Ethnogenesis is the process by which a group of human beings comes to be understood or to understand themselves as ethnically distinct from the wider social landscape from which their grouping emerges...
in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
(2008) received the John L. Cotter Award from the Society of Historical Archaeology. Fennell is editor of the African Diaspora Archaeology Network and Newsletter, and an associate of the editorial board of the International Journal of Historical Archaeology.
Education
Fennell earned his M.A. in American Civilization from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1986. He received his J.D. in 1989 from Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
.
Returning to graduate study and a second career, in 2000 he received an M.A. in anthropology from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. In 2003, Fennell completed his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Virginia, where he specialized in historical archaeology
Historical archaeology
Historical archaeology is a form of archaeology dealing with topics that are already attested in written records. These records can both complement and conflict with the archaeological evidence found at a particular site. Studies tend to focus on literate, historical-period societies as opposed...
and African
African people
African people refers to natives, inhabitants, or citizen of Africa and to people of African descent.-Etymology:Many etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":...
diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
archaeology.
Academic career
In his first years, Fennell taught at a variety of institutions: first was the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, including a course on witchcraft and magic which he designed, and historical archaeologyArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
theory and methods. In the spring of 2001, Fennell was an instructor at Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
in Chicago, Illinois, teaching cross-cultural anthropology. During the fall of 2003, Fennell was a lecturer at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is the seat of Hays County. Located within the metropolitan area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio....
, teaching an introduction to cultural anthropology. From 2003 to 2004, Fennell was Adjunct Professor of Law and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
where he taught “Anthropology and Law” and “Social Norms and the Law.” From 2004 until now,
Fennell is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Illinois. He is also a staff member in the College of Law, teaching interdisciplinary lectures in anthropology and law, the Department of Landscape Architecture, the African American Studies Program, and the Center for African Studies.
Editor
Fennell has done extensive editorial work. From 1998 to the present, he has been editor and co-founder (with historians James Deetz and Patricia Scott Deetz) of the online-based "Plymouth Colony Archive Project", which is “ethnohistorical and archaeological analyses and historical texts”. This project was recognized by the National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
and "peer-reviewed for outstanding intellectual quality, superior design, and educational impact." Since 2004, Fennell has been an article and book referee for various publications, including, American Anthropologist, Historical Archaeology, and Mid-Continental Journal of Archaeology.
Since 2005, Fennell has been editor of the African Diaspora Archaeology Network (ADAN) and Newsletter and an editorial board member of International Journal of Historical Archaeology.
Excavations and research
In 2008 Fennell led summer research and excavations at the New Philadelphia Town SiteNew Philadelphia Town Site
The New Philadelphia Town Site is the original site of the now-vanished town of "New Philadelphia", Illinois. It is located near the city of Barry, in Pike County. Founded in 1836, it was the first town in the United States platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War...
in Illinois. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2005 and designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 2009. The town site is at New Philadelphia, Illinois.
This plot of land in Pike County, Illinois
Pike County, Illinois
Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,430, which is a decrease of 5.5% from 17,384 in 2000...
was the site of the first town platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It had black and white residents, and an integrated school. As a railroad was built bordering a neighboring community, the New Philadelphia expansion seemed to come to a halt. By the early 20th century, only a few homes and families remained. Today only prairie remains with no evidence of a once-flourishing community.
During the fall and spring of 2002 and 2003, Fennell and a team from University of Illinois, University of Maryland and other institutions used topographical and historical maps to find the exact location of the New Philadelphia Site. They found plots of land with artifacts such as nails, ceramic pieces, and shards of glass, showing obvious signs of a previous settlement. The archaeologists are working with the New Philadelphia Land Trust to excavate and preserve the site and its history.
In 1999 and 2000, Fennell performed excavations and studies in the upper Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
and northern Shenandoah River
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is a tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each, in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia...
region surrounding Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
. Included were an 18th century house and St. Peter's Church and School in Harper’s Valley. He examined three cultural processes: the formation and dissipation of social groups, the development of language and communication through material culture, and regional exchange systems.
Books
- Crossroads and Cosmologies: Diasporas and Ethnogenesis in the New World (2008) (received award, see below)
- African Diaspora Archaeology (2008) Society for Historical Archaeology.
Other publications
- "BaKongo Identity and Symbolic Expression in the Americas", The Archaeology of Atlantic Africa and the African Diaspora, ed. Toyin Falola and Akin Ogundiran, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2007
- "Conjuring Boundaries: Inferring Past Identities from Religious Artifacts", International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 4(4): 281-313 (2000).
- "Molded Malevolence: Instrumental Symbolism Rendered in Clay", Ceramics in America, Vol. 3, pp. 270–273, University Press of New England and the Chipstone Foundation (2003).
- "New Philadelphia: The XYZs of the First Excavations", with Terrance J. Martin and Paul A. ShackelPaul A. ShackelPaul A. Shackel is an American anthropologist and a Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Maryland, College Park. He joined the Department of Anthropology in 1996 after working for the National Park Service for seven and a half years...
, Living Museum, 66(4): 8-13 (2004/2005). - Editor, African Diaspora Archaeology Network, University of Illinois, 2008
- “Historical Archaeology in Harpers Ferry”, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 14 December 2007
External links
- "Christopher C. Fennell", University of Illinois-Urbana-Champain, Website, 2008