Contact Details

Telephone

work +44 (0)1224 272929

work +44 (0)1224 274304

Fax

fax +44 (0)1224 274302

Email

neil.curtis@abdn.ac.uk

Address

The University of Aberdeen King's College
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
AB24 3SW
Scotland

Web Links

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~ant014/neilcurtis.htm

Web Links

• http://www.abdn.ac.uk/virtualmuseum/
• http://www.abdn.ac.uk/marischalmuseum/
• http://www.abdn.ac.uk/contentiousmuseum/

Biography

Born in Glasgow in 1964, Neil Curtis came to Aberdeen in 1988 where he is now Head of Museums and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Anthropology. He studied Archaeology (Glasgow, 1986), Museum Studies (Leicester, 1988) and Education (Aberdeen, 1995).

He is married to Elizabeth Curtis, Lecturer in Education in Aberdeen.

Research Interests

Within a broad interest in the ways that people understand and manipulate their world through ideas of identity, material and time, his research focuses on a critical study of museums and archaeology. This has included young children's learning in museums, considerations of the social and cultural roles of museums today, including repatriation and the treatment of human remains, and studies of Scottish museum history.

Current Research

History of Museums

1. The Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry, Glasgow 1911
2. Late 18th/early 19th century museums in the University of Aberdeen

Contemporary museum issues

1. Repatriation
2. Museums as sacred places
3. Human remains in museums
4. Scottish museums and Treasure Trove
5. Museum education

Scottish archaeology

1. Roman finds in North-East Scotland
2. Prehistoric Beakers in North-East Scotland

Research Grants

Leverhulme Trust 'Beakers and Bodies' project (PI)

AHRC Connected Communities - bennachie (Co-I)

Teaching Responsibilities

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

External Responsibilities

He is Convenor of University Museums in Scotland, Vice President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Secretary of its Aberdeen and North-East Section, a member of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel and of the Museum's Association's 2012 Confernece Panel. He was a member of the Museums Galleries Scotland Working Party on Human Remains, the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel and the Museums Association’s ‘Collections for the Future’ enquiry panel. He is a member of the University's Senate, Advisory Group on on Research Ethics and Governance and Advisory Group on Collections Strategy.

Publications