Emily Mills

Research project

Supervisors: Penny Bickle and Steph Piper

Summary of research project:

The overall aim of my research is to explore how we might go about unpicking the ways in which colonisation still colours academic discussion in archaeology, and how we can begin to move past this. The chronology of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition of Scotland, northern Wales, northern England will be explored as a case study, with cave burial sites being the main focus. In order to understand more clearly the ways in which colonial biases are still present within language use in archaeological publication, NVivo analysis on a corpus compiled from various journals will be completed and analysed. Finally, in order to begin to move past some of these ongoing colonial narratives, a reanalysis of the case study sites will be completed using a theoretical framework rooted in fungi-informed assemblage theory.

Profile

In 2020, I received a BA (hons) in Anthropology from the University of California - Santa Cruz, completing various modules in cultural anthropology, bioanthropology, and archaeology. During my undergraduate studies, I completed an internship focused on post-
excavation and community engagement at the Blackfriary Archaeology Field School in Trim, Ireland.

In 2021, I received a Masters (distinction) in Funerary Archaeology from the University of York. My MA dissertation was titled Beyond binaries: recontextualising North Yorkshire’s Neolithic cave burials through an animist lens.

In 2022, I completed a research internship at the University of York led by Professor Penny Bickle and Dr. Steph Piper focusing on the ways in which colonial biases have shaped research surrounding the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Europe. During this internship, I was responsible for primary research and data collection, creating a corpus of academic journal articles, database management, and NVivo analysis.

Research interests:

Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, impacts of colonialism, human-environment interaction, animist thought, assemblage theory.

Publications & Awards

Publications:

2025: MESO2025, Ferrara, Unpicking colonial biases in Britain’s Mesolithic-Neolithic transition

2025: NEBARSS, Bradford, Unpicking colonial biases in Britain’s Mesolithic-Neolithic transition

2024: University of York PGR Symposium, Decentering colonial narratives in the Scottish Mesolithic-Neolithic transition

2022: TAG Edinburgh, Down with the Revolution? Colonial Connotations in Researching Mesolithic-Neolithic Material Culture

2022: CHAGS 13, Dublin, Down with the Revolution? Colonial Connotations in Researching Mesolithic-Neolithic Material Culture

Academic Awards:

2020: Academic Excellence Scholarship from University of York

Teaching & Impact

GTA: Archaeological Theory 2025

Outreach: York Festival of Ideas Fringe Family Fun Afternoon event 2024