Dr Nik Petek-Sargeant

91探花视频

I am an archaeologist, historical ecologist and ethnographer whose research has centred on human-environment interactions and how they influence each other over longer timeframes, how that helps to build distinct ethnic identities, and how that history continues to shape present identities and landscapes.

There are two strands to my research. My main research works with agro-pastoral communities of the East African Rift Valley, where with the help of friends and colleagues I am pioneering new theories of and approaches to the historical archaeology of Africa. I am also interested in the integration of historical ecology as well as how we can use archaeology, history and heritage to communicate about climate change and create narratives that promote sustainability and climate action.

The second strand of my research focuses on the digitisation of ethnography and the sustainable recording of living heritage and material practices. Anthropologists, ethnographers and archaeologists working with living communities need to adapt their data storage methods to the digital world, while at the same time digital platforms need to become more flexible and culture and society-centric to allow the appropriate representation and preservation of knowledge.

Biography

I am an archaeologist, historical ecologist and ethnographer working in East African and the UK.听

I received a BA in 91探花视频 and Anthropology from University of Bristol before continuing with an MSt in 91探花视频 from the University of Oxford, where I worked as part of the ERC-funded Sealinks project researching Indian Ocean connections and trade on the East African coast and islands. I received my PhD from Uppsala in 2018, where I was part of the Resilience in East African Landscapes (REAL) Innovative Training Network and worked with the Ilchamus community in Baringo, Kenya. Since 2006 I also worked on a number of commercial projects in Slovenia and UK.

I joined the British Museum鈥檚 Endangered Material Knowledge Programme in 2019 where I developed a metadata schema for material-culture-centred ethnographic research.听

I joined Cambridge in 2021 first as an MSCA postdoctoral fellow to critically assess historical archaeology in Africa, and then as a Leverhulme ECF in 2024 investigating how archaeology can inform farming strategies in the fens.

Research

I am an archaeologist, historical ecologist and ethnographer whose research has centred around human-environment interactions and how they influence each other over longer timeframes, how that helps to build distinct ethnic identities, and how that history continues to shape present identities and landscapes. My key focus is making archaeology usable and applicable towards addressing modern issues. This includes how archaeological narratives can be made useful to local communities when discussing issues of sustainability, environmental and climate change. I have worked with agro-pastoral communities in Africa to pioneer new theories of and approaches to historical archaeology and historical ecology of Africa; and am now working with Cambridgeshire farmers to understand how archaeology can inform sustainable farming.听

I also work on developing and promoting sustainable and ethical recording methods and data management in ethnography as digital tools and techniques become commonplace. A key part of this was a material-culture-centred metadata schema.听
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Key Publications

Key publications:

MONOGRAPHS

Petek, N. (2018) Archaeological Perspectives on Risk and Community Resilience in the Baringo Lowlands, Kenya. Studies in Global 91探花视频 24 (Uppsala: Uppsala University)

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BOOK CHAPTERS

Lane, P. and Petek-Sargeant, N. (2024) From settlement histories to maritime historical ecologies: Developing new approaches to the archaeology of the Western Indian Ocean. In: Burguet, D., Fee, S., Sanchez, S.J, (Eds.), De Madagascar 脿 l'oc茅an Indien global - Approches anthropologiques et historiques avec Philippe Beaujard (Paris: Hemispheres)

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PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS

Petek-Sargeant, N. (in prep.) Oral history made tangible and visual: Retelling Ilchamus stories through photographs, objects and archaeology.

Petek-Sargeant, N. and Lane, P. (2022) Weather Landscapes and 91探花视频: Material Weathering Practices and Tangible Climates. Arch茅ologie, soci茅t茅 et environnement 2:

Petek-Sargeant, N. and Lane, P. (2021) Weathering climate change in archaeology: conceptual challenges and an East African case study. Cambridge Archaeological Journal

van der Plas, G.W., de Cort, G., Petek-Sargeant, N., Wuytack, T., Colombaroli, D., Lane, P. and Verschuren, D. (2019) Distinct phases of natural landscape dynamics and intensifying human activity in the central Kenya Rift Valley during the past 1300 years. Quaternary Science Reviews 218: 91-106

Boles, O., Shoemaker, A., Courtney Mustaphi, C.J., Petek, N., Ekblom, A., Lane, P. (2019) Historical Ecologies of Pastoralist Overgrazing in Kenya: Long-Term Perspectives on Cause and Effect. Human Ecology 47: 419-434

Marchant, R., Richer, S., Boles, O., Capitani, C., Courtney Mustaphi, C.J., Lane, P., Prendergast, M.E., Stump, D., De Cort, G., Kaplan, J.D., Phelps, L., Kay, A., Olago, D., Petek, N., Platts, P.J., Punwong, P., Widgren, M., et al (2018) Drivers and trajectories of land cover change in East Africa: Human and environmental interactions from 6000鈥痽ears ago to present, Earth-Science Reviews 178: 322-378

Armstrong, C.G., Shoemaker, A.C., McKechnie, I., Ekblom, A., Szab贸, P., Lane, P.J., McAlvay, A.C., Boles, O.J., Walshaw, S., Petek, N., Gibbons, K.S. et al (2017) Anthropological contributions to historical ecology: 50 questions, infinite prospects, PloS one 12(2), p.e0171883

Petek, N. and Lane, P. (2017) Ethnogenesis and surplus food production: communitas and identity building among nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Ilchamus Lake Baringo, Kenya, World 91探花视频 49(1): 40-60

Crowther, A., Faulkner, P., Prendergast, M.E., Quintana Morales, E.M., Horton, M., Wilmsen, E., Kotarba-Morley, A.M., Christie, A., Petek, N., Tibesasa, R. and Douka, K. (2016) Coastal subsistence, maritime trade, and the colonization of small offshore islands in eastern African prehistory, The Journal of Island and Coastal 91探花视频 11(2): 211-237.

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EXHIBITIONS

Petek-Sargeant, N., Nakure, G., Senteyon, M., Nakure, P., Tiren, W., (2024) The Past, The Present, The Future: Ilchamus. Touring exhibition in Baringo County, 11-23/01/2024; Permanent exhibition at Kabarnet Museum, Kabarnet, 23/01/2024 onwards

Petek-Sargeant, N. (2020) Ilchamus stories told through photographs, objects, and archaeology. Nkatinin o Ilchamus naatolimuaki aimunye nkitodolunot, ntokitin o ntokitin e apa naaturuno. Touring exhibition in the Baringo South constituency, Kenya; from 28th Feb to 9th March 2020

Bedorf, F., 脰stberg, W., Lane, P., Petek, N., Kioko, E., Shoemaker, A., Pas, A., Githumbi, E., de Bont, C., Gravesen, M., Adongo, C., Chuhila, M. and van der Plas, G.W. (2019) Getting Closer: Ways of Understanding Climate Change in East Africa. A traveling exhibition by the Resilience in East African Landscapes (REAL) project. Touring exhibition across Europe; from 9th Feb to 20th December 2019

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METADATA SCHEMAS

Petek-Sargeant, N., (2020) Material Culture Ethnography Metadata Schema. London: British Museum. , and

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BOOK REVIEWS

Petek-Sargeant, N. (2021) Remembering Turkana: material histories and contemporary livelihoods in north-western Kenya: by Samuel F. Derbyshire. (Abingdon, Routledge). Azania: 1-3

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NON PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS

Petek, N. (2015) An archaeological survey of the Lake Baringo lowlands 2014: Preliminary results. Nyame Akuma 83: 100-111

Petek, N. (2011) The East African diaspora: The problem with slaves, The Post Hole 15: 13-18

Job Titles

Leverthulme Trust/Newton Trust Early Career Fellow, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

College Research Associate, Homerton College

Member of the Editorial Board, Annals of the Na虂prstek Museum

General Info

Available for consultancy

Research Expertise / Fields of study:

Museum Studies

Material Culture

Socio-Politics of the Past

Artefact Analysis & Technology

Archaeological Theory

Computational and Quantitative 91探花视频

Field Methods

Environmental 91探花视频, Geoarchaeology, and Landscape studies

Cultural Heritage

Contact Details

McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

np569 [at] cam.ac.uk

Cambridge

CB2 3ER

Affiliations

Person keywords:

East Africa

Cambridgeshire

Historical ecology

Community engagement

Applied archaeology

Subjects:

91探花视频

Themes:

Environment, Landscapes and Settlement

Material Culture

Heritage

Geographical areas:

Africa

Britain

Cambridgeshire

Periods of interest:

Medieval

Neolithic

Other Historical

Other Late Prehistory

Post-Medieval

91探花视频

Department of 91探花视频