Scott Neilsen

Position

Associate Professor
Cross-Appointed to Social-Cultural Program (Grenfell Campus) and School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies (Labrador Campus)

Contact

Email: scott.neilsen@mun.ca
Phone: 709-497-3630 ext. 225
Office: Labrador Institute Research Station
Mail: 219 Hamilton River Road
P.O. Box 490, Stn. B
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL A0P 1E0

Academics

Ph.D. Memorial University, 2015
M.A. Memorial University, 2006
B.A. St. Thomas University, 2000

Research Interests

Cultural Resources Management; Anthropological, Community, Contemporary, Indigenous and Public Archaeologies; Decolonization; Eastern Subarctic Cultural & Environmental History; Labrador Society & Culture.

Current Research

My research interests at this time are connected to my supervision of graduate students, and relationships I have with various heritage stakeholders in Labrador and Newfoundland. This includes research related to Innu, Inuit and Mi’Kmaq archaeological history, Indigenous and co-management of cultural and natural resources, the decolonization of archaeology and academia, repatriation, critical theory, contemporary archaeology, digital archaeology, and cultural resources management policies and practices.

These interests and my experiences living and learning in Labrador, where I practice applied archaeology in cooperation with local communities (e.g. Sheshatshiu Archaeology Project) and organizations (e.g Birch Island Archaeological Project), have led me to set-up the Laboratory for Applied Archaeological Research and Community Heritage, otherwise known as LARCH. This interdisciplinary lab is dedicated to supporting individuals, communities, not-for-profit organizations, and local governments with research related to archaeological history, community heritage, and tangible and intangible cultural resources. It is housed at the Labrador Institute Research Station in North West River, and is supported by Memorial’s new School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, graduate and undergraduate students, community researchers, and in-formal and formal project-specific partnerships.

Student supervision
Ph.D Dissertations
  • Hogan, Jared T. (in progress). Research topic. Just representation? Investigating the visibility of Indigenous cultures at museums in Newfoundland and Labrador. (Co-supervised with Dr. Barry Gaulton).
  • Cameron, Ashley (in progress). Research topic: tbd.
  • Finch, David M. (in progress). Research topic: Practicing heritage: Community-based archaeology and learning in Labrador. (Co-supervised with Dr. Lisa Rankin).
  • Brenan, Julia (in progress): Research topic: Legacies of colonial waste in Labrador and the implications for community archaeology. (Co-supervised with Dr. Meghan Burchell).
  • Campbell, John Andrew (in progress). Research topic: Entangled Narratives: Mi’kmaw Interactions, Relationships, and Realities During the Genesis of the Fur Trade.
  • Suttie, Brent (in progress). Research topic: The Business of Archaeology: A critical examination of emergent vs. entrenched methods and approaches to archaeological field assessment.
M.A. Theses
  • Jones, Natasha (in porgress). Research topic. tbd.
  • McLean, Chase (in progress). Research topic. Establishing Beneficial Roles: Integrating Community Members into Archaeological Practices in Atlantic Canada.
  • Cameron, Ashley (2022). Research topic: Archaeological Material Analysis of FjCa-51, Area 11, Sheshatshiu, Labrador.
  • Wolfrum, Allan (2019). Research topic: Sensing the Unseen: Archaeo-Geophysical Survey on the Ushpitun Landform.
  • Reid, Brady (Environmental Policy Institute, Grenfell) (2019). Indigenous knowledge and land use: Building relationships with a Ktaqmkuk Mi’kmaw community. (Co-supervised with Dr. Kelly Vodden).
  • Brenan, Julia (2019). Community archaeology and memories on Birch Island.
B.A. Honours Essay
  • Letemplier, Samantha (2018). The Harvey Hopkins Collection: An Analysis of a Middle Dorset Assemblage from old Perlican, Newfoundland.
Selected Publications & Reports
  • Neilsen, Baker, Hoskins, Newsome, and Ward. 2020. Community Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management in Sheshatshiu & Upper Lake Melville, Labrador –2019. In Provincial Archaeology Office 2019 Archaeology Review, Vol. 18, Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John’s.
  • Neilsen, Arbour, Andrew, Aurnab, Bush, Jackman, Lee, McLean, Nylen, Walker, and Williams. 2019. Community Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management in Sheshathsiu, Labrador –2018. In Provincial Archaeology Office 2018 Archaeology Review, Vol. 17, Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John’s.
  • Neilsen and Wolfrum. 2019. Archaeo-Geophysical Prospection in Upper Lake Melville, Labrador. In Provincial Archaeology Office 2018 Archaeology Review, Vol. 17, Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John’s.
  • Neilsen. 2018. An Increased Role for Indigenous Citizens in Decisions Affecting Labrador. In The Democracy Cookbook: Recipes to Renew Governance in Newfoundland and Labrador. Edited by Alex Marland and Lisa Moore. ISER Books: St. John’s.
  • Neilsen, Arbour, Walley, Bethune, Winters, Champion, Denniston, and Quehe. 2018. Community Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management in Sheshathsiu, Labrador. In Provincial Archaeology Office 2017 Archaeology Review, Vol. 16, Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John’s.
  • Neilsen and Brenan. 2018. The Birch Island Archaeological Project, 2017 Investigation. In Provincial Archaeology Office 2017 Archaeology Review, Vol. 16, Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John’s.
  • Neilsen. 2017. An Introduction to the Archaeological History of Ashuanipi, Labrador. North Atlantic Archaeology, Vol. 5.