Above: Attendees at the inauguration of the University of Prishtina Institute of Anthropology (Kosova). Photo: University of Prishtina Institute of Anthropology.


The University of Michigan Department of Anthropology announced the completion of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the newly established Institute of Anthropology at the University of Prishtina (Republic of Kosova). The MOU, which outlines mutual research and educational interests, was signed by U-M Anthropology Department Chair Kelly Askew, the Niara Sudarkasa Collegiate Professor of Anthropology and Afroamerican & African Studies, and Dr. Arsim Canolli, professor of anthropology and the newly-elected head of the institute.

Regarding the new MOU, Canolli said, "It’s a pleasure to mark the inauguration of the Institute of Anthropology by formalizing our first collaboration with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. As a young country, building connections with American and European institutions is essential. These partnerships not only provide valuable opportunities for our students and staff but also strengthen the bonds between our institutions and countries."

Michael Galaty, U-M anthropology professor and director/curator of the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology (UMMAA), spoke at the institute’s inauguration event in Prishtina on Friday, Oct. 4. According to Galaty, who is advising the institute, the MOU is intended to encourage collaborative research and educational efforts between the two universities. Examples could include faculty, student, and research exchanges.

"We have graduate students who are operating in the country, so the institute could support them and facilitate their work,” Galaty said. “I have undergraduates who've come with me to Kosova. Students from the University of Prishtina have come and worked with us in the field, so our undergraduates have gotten to know their undergraduates. The MOU could encourage more of that kind of educational interaction and exchange."

U-M Anthropology has developed several connections to the University of Prishtina over the years, beginning with their rare shared identity as four-field anthropology programs: both offer training in the diverse subfields of anthropological archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. In addition, Professor Askew’s former Ph.D. student Nita Luci was a University of Prishtina faculty member, and Galaty and his students have conducted archaeological research in the region for the past six years.

"Our department's ties to the University of Prishtina were initially forged in partnership with Dr. Luci, now the Kosova Ambassador to Norway, who received her Ph.D. from our department in 2013," explained Askew. "Dr. Luci went on to serve as a faculty member, then chair, of the Department of Anthropology at U. Prishtina before being tapped for her current position. Meanwhile, Mike Galaty's longstanding ties and ongoing archaeological research in Kosova further strengthened our collaboration, which we happily formalize with this MOU." 

Read more on the U-M anthropology department's website: https://myumi.ch/jZWjg