Jennifer Craig

Born in Quebec, Jennifer completed her BA (honours) in Anthropology with a double major in Greek and Roman Studies at Memorial University in Newfoundland in 2003 and a Masters degree in Maritime Archaeology and History at Bristol University (UK) in 2004. Jennifer’s perspective is FROM the water and she has worked in many archaeological excavations underwater around the world in such regions as North America, Eastern and Western Europe, Oceania, Southeast Asia and Arabia. Jennifer’s MA research proposed a taphonomic chaine d’operatorie of shipwreck Site Formation Processes and tested this human-environment interaction with predictive models of French and British historic shipping on the Canadian Nova Scotian Shelf. Her PhD research was initially supervised by Damian Robinson with the Oxford Center for Maritime Archaeology, University of Oxford. She completed her PhD at McGill University in 2022. This research studies the significance of beads archaeologically excavated from four shipwrecks within Philippines water and explores their role in connectivity. She addresses what it is about beads that can indicate connectivity, the analytical methods one can employ to compare underwater and terrestrial archaeology sites, and how these examinations challenge current models of complex society.

In 2014, Jennifer was awarded a McGill Doctoral Scholarship. For this research Jennifer has also received laboratory and fieldwork support: the National Science Foundation’s awarded to the Laboratory for Scientific Analysis, Chicago Field Museum; Bruce Trigger Award in Anthropology, McGill University; Society for Nautical Research Tomlin/Anderson Marine Research Grant.

Prior to coming to McGill to complete her doctorate she interned at the Western Australia Maritime Museum, Department of Maritime Archaeology with the support of an Australian Endeavour Executive Award. At Oxford University she was awarded the Brasenose College Alumni Annual Fund, Santander Abbey Academic Travel Award and Meyerstein Academic Travel Grant. Along with these backings Jennifer’s research is possible with the in kind support of staff time and work space at the National Museum of the Philippines Directorship Jeremy Barns, Cultural Properties Department Angel Baptista, Archaeology Division Dr Mary Jane Bolunia, Underwater Unit Clyde Jago-on and staff, Records Section Nida Curvas and staff and Dr Eusebio Dizon and the Chemistry and Conservation Laboratory Mauro Alvarez.

Jennifer was the IOWC Newsletter Editor 2012-2018 and Underwater Archaeologist 2016-2018 at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (Vermont, USA). Outside of academia, Jennifer hikes and swims with her husband and daughter.

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PUBLICATIONS

Journal Articles

2015. Value of Shipwrecks in Databases. Special Issue on Maritime Archaeology in Southeast Asia, in Journal of Indo-Pacific Archaeology(ed) Oliver Pryce. 36: 34–41. https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/JIPA/article/view/14915

2015. with Veronica Walker-Vadillo, Charlotte Pham, Introduction to Special Issue: Papers from the Session on Maritime Archaeology at the Indo-Pacific Prehistoric Association 2014 Conference. Special Issue on Maritime Archaeology in Southeast Asia, in Journal of Indo-Pacific Archaeology(ed) Oliver Pryce. 36: 1-4. https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/JIPA/article/view/14909

Book chapters

In press. With Charlotte Pham, and Veronica Walker-Vadillo. “Maritime Archaeology in Southeast Asia”, in Oxford Handbook on Southeast Asian Archaeology, Oxford University Press.

2015. With Paul Lunde ‘Gujarati shifts in port location, technology and bead supply chains during the 16th century’, in Port Towns of Gujarat(eds) Sara Keller and Michael Pearson (eds.). Darshak Itihas Nidhi, Delhi: Primus, pp. 19-30.

2014. With Carl Hughes. “The Southeast Asian Galleon Trade: a process towards a re-assessment of human-environment interaction”, in vol.1 Proceedings of the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage, Honolulu: Electric Pencil. Available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.themua.org/collections/items/show/1602 

2011. “Evidence of Gujarati in the Philippines: historical and archaeological sources of Sufi-Islam”, in Gujarat and the Sea, (ed) Lotika Varadarajan, Darshak Itihas Nidhi. Pp. 425-438.

2011. “Beads on boats: testing the relation of expected cargo to Philippine maritime activities”, in (eds) Mark Staniforth, Jennifer Craig, Clyde Jago-on and Bobby Orillaneda, Proceedings for the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage. UNESCO Patronage. Asian Academy of Heritage Management and the National Museum of the Philippines. pp. 329 – 341. Available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.themua.org/collections/items/show/602 

2010. “How Stick-Charts and Astrolabes relate to Ports”. (eds) Chris Horrell and Melanie Damour, Underwater Archaeology Proceedings2010, Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology Publication, pp.123-134.

2010. “Amnesty on Underwater Cultural Heritage Information: A Call for Communication between Parties Researching International Waters”; chapter in peer-reviewed ICOMOS International Forum of Young Researchers and Professionals in Cultural Heritage, Penser et pratiquer l’esprit du lieu / Reflecting on and Practicing the Spirit of Placepublished by Institut du Patrimoine Culturel (IPAC), Université Laval, pp. 123 – 137.

Books/Edited volumes

2012. Han Qing, with contributions from Jennifer Craig, Clifford Pereira. History of Shipping in Modern China during the Late Qing Dynasty (1840-1911). Dalian Maritime University Press. Chinese Foreign Affairs grant for the project “Foreign Shipping Companies in China 1840-1911”.

2011. With Mark Staniforth, Clyde Jago-on and Bobby Orillaneda (eds). Proceedings for the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage. UNESCO Patronage. Asian Academy of Heritage Management and the National Museum of the Philippines.

Reports

2013. “Southeast and Chinese Ceramics: the Abbott Collection at the Shipwreck Galleries, Western Australian Museum”. Report for Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Maritime Museum, No. 302. Available on the World Wide Web at: http://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/maritime-reports/southea…

2012. With Western Australian Museum. ‘User’s Guide to Shipwreck Gallery Resources: Thai Ceramics, A Case Study’; Report for Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Maritime Museum, No. 31. Available on the World Wide Web at: http://museum.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/No.%20031%20Users%20Guide%20…

2008. “Multinational Approaches to an International Convention”; conference poster AND paper for International Council of Monuments and of Sites (ICOMOS) 16th General Assembly proceedings 2008, CD format. http://www.international.icomos.org/quebec2008/cd/toindex/80_pdf/80-bh8v…

Selected Presentations

2018. ‘Blue Space: mapping ancient shipping activities a case study of beads on shipwrecks’. McGill University, Indian Ocean World Center seminar series, Montreal, Canada. November 6.

2017. ‘The Origins of Cargo: Laboratory Analysis of Stone and Glass Beads from Philippine Shipwrecks’.McGill University, Indian Ocean World Centre seminar series, Montreal, Canada. 6 November.

2017. ‘Mapping Cargo: the maritime cultural landscape of shipping activity’. McGill University, Anthropology Department Center for Society, Technology and Development (STandD) seminar, Montreal, Canada. 6 October.

2016.  ‘Ship as Text: Reading shipwrecks in Southeast Asia’, conference presentation in Session South Asia and Southeast Asia, chair Veysel Simbek; for the McGill Queens Conference Past the Pages. Montreal, Canada. 27 February. Invited.

2016. ‘The Value of shipwreck Data in a digital database’, Indian Ocean World Centre seminar series. McGill University, Montreal, Canada. 25 February.

2014. “Material Culture data in an Interdisciplinary Database”, conference presentation in Session Maritime Archaeology in Southeast Asia, co-organizers Veronica Walker Vadillo, Jennifer Craig, Charlotte Pham; for the Indo-Pacific Prehistoric Association 20th, Siem Reap, Cambodia. 12-18 January.

2013. With Nick Burningham, ‘The Baggala: diffusion and cross-influences in Arabian Sea ship aesthetics, simple myths and complex networks’, conference presentation for European Impact on the Indian Ocean World, IOWC, McGill University,Montreal, Canada. September 9-10.

2012. Conference presentation ‘Gujarati shifts in port location, technology and bead supply chains during the 16th century’, for Gujarat Port Cities, Darshak Itihas Nidhi (Gujarat Maritime History Society). Daman, Daman District, Gujarat, India. 14–16 December. Invited.

2012. ‘Navigation Tools analysis – what is required in an interpretive spreadsheet and how does that information transfer to an international database?’, conference presentation for The Dimensions of the Indian Ocean World Past: Sources and Opportunities for interdisciplinary work in Indian Ocean World History, 9th -19th c., Western Australian Maritime Museum.Perth, Australia. 12-14 November.

2012. With Clifford Pereira, “Archaeological and Geographical evidence of Shipping Transport”. Lecture delivered to Maritime Economics class at Dalian Maritime University, China. September. Invited.

2012. ‘Treasure Trail: How museum staff keep track of shipwreck artefacts’; for Batavia Lecture Series International Museum day, National Archaeology week. Western Australian Maritime Museum, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia. 18 May. Invited.

2012. ‘Maritime History and Archaeology – what can these subjects reveal? A Philippine Case Study’, for Archaeology Department Seminar Series. University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. 29 March. Invited.

2010.  “From astrolabes to stick-charts to ports: The study of cognitive awareness and the architecture of space”; presentation for the 13th International Conference Crossing Borders in Southeast Asian Archaeology. European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists.Oxford, United Kingdom. Sept 27-Oct 1.

2010. “Gujarat port architecture in the 15th century”; presentation for the conference Gujarat and the Sea, sponsored by Darshak Itihas Nidhi., Oct 1-3. Invited.