Dr Zoe Cormack

I am an anthropologist and historian working on the intersections of memory, heritage and violence in Eastern Africa and in European museum collections. Since 2010 I have conducted long term ethnographic and archival research in South Sudan (both independent and collaborative) examining the memory of conflict and colonialism, the survival of cultural heritage during conflict and expressions of resilience in the arts. My most recent work is on the history of collecting in Sudan and South Sudan and the place of heritage and museum collections in post-conflict and conflict societies. I have edited a book on this subject, Pieces of a Nation: South Sudanese Heritage and Museum Collections, which is available to read Open Access. I recently completed a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship studying South Sudanese commemorative art in museum collections and contemporary practice. I am a research associate at the Pitt Rivers Museums, where I have been working with the research and curatorial team to connect the museum's South Sudanese collections with the diaspora and communities in South Sudan.