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ContactDr Charles Radclyffe image (2023)

Room 2C10
Tel +64 3 479 5442
Email charles.radclyffe@otago.ac.nz

Research interests

I am a Solomon Islander of I-Kiribati and British descent and am delighted to have recently joined the Archaeology Programme. I specialise in archaeological and anthropological research in Oceania and consider myself truly blessed to live and work in such a culturally diverse and beautiful part of the world! Over the last decade, I have participated in and directed cultural research programs primarily in Solomon Islands as well as Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Highlights from my fieldwork in my home country of Solomon Islands include surveying beautiful coastlines and pristine lagoons, eating delicious local fruits and traditional foods, and, most importantly, building relationships with local landowners and learning about their rich kastom ('traditional') knowledge and histories.

My key areas of research include archaeological modelling of human settlement of Oceania, investigating exchange systems and how they have changed over time, and broader notions of land and identity. Recently, my research has focused on the history of pottery-making in Solomon Islands, publishing in both Solomon Islands Pijin and English, improving public accessibility to academic research, indigeneity and navigating academic spaces as an early career Pasifika researcher. As one of Solomon Islands' first archaeologists to hold a PhD, I recognise the privilege of my education as well as the duty and responsibility that comes with it to improve archaeological research and cultural heritage management practices in my home nation and in the wider Pacific region.

Teaching

  • ANTH 204 Pacific and New Zealand Archaeology
  • ANTH 208 Archaeological Methods
  • ANTH 405/505 Archaeological Excavation (Contributing Lecturer)
  • ANTH 409 Material Culture Studies (Contributing Lecturer)

Publications

Radclyffe, C. J. T., & Foukona, J. D. (2026). Using kastom evidence in court: A legal and archaeological review of the intersection between Indigenous cultural heritage, land ownership, and law in Solomon Islands. International Journal of Cultural Property. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1017/S0940739126100216 Journal - Research Article

Radclyffe, C. J. T. (2025, June). Coastal archaeology of Lauru (Choiseul), Solomon Islands: Using ethnoarchaeology and community-centred research to preserve the country's last pottery-making tradition. Verbal presentation at the Tenth World Archaeological Congress (WAC), Darwin, Australia. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Radclyffe, C. J. T., Halter, N., Foukona, J. D., & Labriola, M. C. (2025). Introduction: In our own words: Histories in languages of Oceania. Journal of Pacific History. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/00223344.2025.2458482 Journal - Research Other

Roughan, N., Radclyffe, C., Ellis, L., Latu, A., & Jones, C. (2024, August). Entanglements, fusions, 'systems' and beyond. Workshop presentation at the Otago Centre for Law and Society Conference: Pluralising Legalities, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Radclyffe, C. J. T., & Ale'eke-Bemama, G. (2024). Archaeology through tok stori: Negotiating the meanings, values and challenges of archaeological research in Solomon Islands. Archaeology in Oceania, 59, 450-464. doi: 10.1002/arco.5334 Journal - Research Article

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