Dr Anke Hein
About
Dr Anke Hein is an anthropological archaeologist focusing on pre-historic and early historic China. Her main research interest lies with questions of inter-cultural contact (especially in terms of technology) and human-environment interaction. Geographically she focuses on the so-called border regions of China (esp. the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau), which have been zones of interactions since early prehistoric times. She is also an expert in ceramic analysis focusing on low-fired wares using scientific and ethnographic methods of research. Besides archaeological research, Dr Hein is also very interested in the history and practice of archaeology itself, working on issues such as 'who owns the past' and the connection between archaeologists, cultural heritage specialists, museum curators, local populations, and the general public.
Expertise
- Chinese archaeology
- Ceramics research
- Chinese ceramics
- Petrography/ceramic analysis
- Culture contact
- Identity formation
- Archaeology and cultural heritage
- Tea culture
Selected publications
- Female Scholars and their Contribution to Chinese Archaeology. Hein, Anke, et al (Women in Archaeology: Advancing Knowledge and Human Understanding World Wide, edited by S. L. López Varela. Cham: Springer. Forthcoming)
- Complex pathways towards emergent pastoral settlements: New research on the Bronze Age Xindian culture of Northwest China. Jaffe, Yitzchak, Anke Hein, et al (Journal of World Prehistory 34:595-647. 2021)
- State-Induced Migration and the Creation of State Spaces in Early Chinese Empires: Perspectives from Archaeology and History. Korolkov, Maxim, and Anke Hein (Journal of Chinese History 5. Special Issue 2: The State and Migration in Chinese History. 2020)
- Soil, Hands, and Heads – An Ethnoarchaeological Study on Local Preconditions of Pottery Production in the Wei River Valley (Northern China). Hein, Anke, Ye Wa, and Yang Liping (Advances in Archaeomaterials 1:51-104. 2020)
- Resettlement strategies and Han imperial expansion into southwest China: a multimethod approach to colonialism and migration. Wu, Xiaotong, Anke Hein, et al (Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11 (12):6751-6781. 2019)
- The Burial Record of Prehistoric Liangshan in Southwest China: Graves as Composite Objects. Hein, Anke (Cham, Switzerland: Springer. 2017)
- The cultural other and the nearest neighbor: Han-Nuosu relations in Zhaojue County, Southwest China. Hein, Anke, and Zhao Deyun (Asian Ethnicity 17 (2):273-293. 2016)
Media experience
Dr Anke Hein has experience working with print and broadcast media and has been quoted in a number of newspaper articles (examples include: Channel News Asia, Singaporean TV, Shanghai Media Group, People’s Daily, The Independent, Spektrum der Wissenschaft). Dr Hein has also been involved in the creation of documentary films and is frequently contacted by the media, museums, and private individuals for advice on matters concerning Chinese archaeology. (Since 2016, she has been advising Compton Verney on their China collection and engaging in outreach activities.)
Languages
English, Chinese, German