Elena Sesma | University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences

Elena Sesma

Assistant Professor

(Ah-lay-nah Ses-mah)

Contact Information

elenasesma@uky.edu

216 Lafferty Hall

Office hours Tuesdays 2:00-4:00pm or by appointment

859 257 1051

Research Interests

historical archaeology
cultural heritage; collective memory
archaeological ethnography
public and community archaeology
African Diaspora
The Bahamas
slavery and emancipation

Affiliations

Anthropology
Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies
African American and Africana Studies
Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Dr. Sesma's website
UK Campus Archaeology

Anthropologist with archaeological tendencies

Prospective Students

Prospective graduate students are welcome to contact me by email to disucss advising/mentoring possibilities for the coming academic year. Those interested in historical & contemporary archaeology, community-based research, Black feminist theory and African Diaspora archaeology are especially encouraged to apply.

ANT585

University of Kentucky Campus Archaeology Project

Dr. Sesma ran the first ever on-campus archaeology field school from May23-July1, 2022. Students excavated the yard of a historic building on the edge of campus to learn about changes to the landscape throughout the twentieth century and the daily lives of those who lived in the house before it was part of campus and those who continue using the building as classroom and offices to this day! Check out the project's social media, blog, and reporting by the College of Arts & Sciences.

UKCAP on Instagram

Field School Blog, made by student Cheryl Arnold

A&S: Behind a UK-owned House, Archaeology is Happening This Summer || Video

Selected Publications

Selected Publications:

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

2022. Taylor, Evan and Elena Sesma. Exploring the Contemporary in Old Places. Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association. Contemporary Archaeologies in Old Places: Material Politics between Past and Present, editors Elena Sesma and Evan Taylor.
2022. Sesma, Elena. Materializing Memory and Building Community: A Contemporary Archaeology of the Bahamas. Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association. Contemporary Archaeologies in Old Places: Material Politics between Past and Present, editors Elena Sesma and Evan Taylor.
2020. Sesma, Elena. Photo elicitation as a tool for expanded participation in community archaeology. Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage. Available open-access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20518196.2020.1793074
2016. Sesma, Elena. Creating Mindful Heritage Narratives: Black Women in Slavery and Freedom. Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage 5(1):38-61.
2015. Sesma, Elena. 'A Web of Community': Uncovering African American Historic Sites in Deerfield, MA. Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage 2(2): 121-136.

PEER-REVIEWED EDITED VOLUMES

2022. Contemporary Archaeologies in Old Places: Material Politics between Past and Present. Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association. Editors, Elena Sesma and Evan Taylor.

COMMUNITY REPORTS

2018. Sesma, Elena, "Memory and History in South Eleuthera: A Report to the People of South Eleuthera" (2018). Archaeological Project Reports. 1. https://doi.org/10.7275/z08z-1g12