Dela Kuma is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Northwestern University. Dela specializes in African archaeology, the archaeology of ‘legitimate’ trade, and the archaeology of the Atlantic world. Her dissertation, titled “An Archaeology of ‘Legitimate’ Trade in Amedeka, Ghana (AD 1807-1900), examines broad transformations in local taste practices and everyday life during the nineteenth century ‘legitimate’ trade in the hinterlands of southeastern Ghana.
She specializes in the use of archaeometry and archaeobotanical tools to answer archaeological questions concerning foodways, trade, and global exchange networks. Dela has also worked on archaeological projects in Nigeria, Portugal, Italy, Israel, and Russia. She was the 2018 co-coordinator of the Northwestern University African Graduate Student Seminar. Generous fellowships from Northwestern University, the Social Science Research Council’s Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship, and the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center Pre-doctoral Award have supported her research.
Before pursuing a Ph.D. at Northwestern University, Dela graduated from Sapienza Universita di Roma, Italy and Universidad di Evora, Portugal with an MSc. in Archaeological Materials Science and a B.A. in Archaeology and Heritage Studies with honors from the University of Ghana.
Education
Present
PhD Candidate
Anthropology
Northwestern University, USA
2019
M.A.
Anthropology
Northwestern University
USA
2016
M.Sc.
Archaeological Material Sciences
Sapienza Universita di Roma & Universidad di Evora
Italy & Portugal
2015
Certificate of Advanced Training in the History of Ceramics
Kazan Federal University
Russia
2013
B.A.
Archaeology & Heritage Studies
University of Ghana
Ghana
Fieldwork Experience
2019
Project Archaeobotanist
Ife-Sungbo Archaeology Project
Nigeria
2015 - 2019
Co-Principal Investigator
Amedeka Archaeology Project
Ghana
2015
Unit Supervisor
Manot Cave Archaeology Project
Israel
2009
Field Supervisor
Krobo Mountains Archaeology Project
Ghana
2014
Field Crew
Nkwantanso Ethnographic Project
Ghana
2013 - 2016
Field Supervisor
Ethnoarchaeology of Ironworking and Economic Practices
Ghana
Laboratory Experience
Present
Senior Research Specialist
Archaeometry Laboratory
University of Missouri
Research Reactor
2019
Macrobotanical Analyst
Paleoethnobotany Laboratory
Northwestern University
2016
Ceramic Analyst
Museo delle Origini Laboratory
Sapienza University of Rome
2015
Ceramic Analyst
Herculus Archaeometry Laboratory
Evora-Portugal
2015
Advanced Student Trainee
History of Ceramics
Bolgar Archaeological Summer Fieldwork and School
Teaching Experience
2019
Guest Lecture
The Archaeology of Trade in Africa
2019
Guest Lecture
Introduction to African Civilization
2019
Research Assistant
Paleoethnobotany Laboratory
with Dr. Amanda Logan
2019
Teaching Assistant
Human Origins
with Dr. Erin Waxenbaum
2018
Teaching Assistant
The Study of Culture through Language
with Dr. Nell Haynes
2018
Teaching Assistant
Archaeology: Unearthing History
with Dr. Matthew Johnson & Dr. Melissa Rosenzweig
2017
Teaching Assistant
Contemporary African Worlds
with Dr. Adia Benton
2013-14
Teaching & Field Assistant
University of Ghana
Dela Kuma
Northwestern University, Department of Anthropology
1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL, USA, 60208
