Dr Abigail Moffett

  • Partner - Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
  • Assistant Research Professor - McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
Dr Abigail Moffett

About

I am an archaeologist specialising in the study of the African past and Africa within the context of global history. My research examines a variety of themes, from political economy and trade to questions of power, craft, exchange, gender, labour, identity and personhood. I have an interdisciplinary research strategy, drawing on a range of techniques from anthropological, historical and archaeological practice, underpinned by a strong theoretical focus on human engagement with the material world.

I am currently the PI of the European Research Council awarded, UKRI funded, Starting Grant, titled ‘Entangled materialities and new global histories from southern Africa’ (ENTANGLED).Prior to this I was a British Academy Newton International fellowship at the Sainsbury Research Unit, University of East Anglia (2020-2023) and a Claude Leon postdoctoral fellow in the department of Archaeology at the University of Cape Town (2018-2019). Much of my academic training took place at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where I obtained a BA in history and archaeology, BA honours in archaeology followed by a PhD in archaeology.

Research

My research spans a variety of interrelated themes, from identity, power and craft production to the nature and impact of global connections across the African continent. I am currently the PI of the European Research Council awarded, UKRI funded, Starting Grant, titled ‘Entangled materialities and new global histories from southern Africa’ (ENTANGLED). ENTANGLED is an interdisciplinary project combining scientific analyses of a range of archaeological materials with historical and ethnographic research to address connections between southern Africa and the Indian Ocean World during the Global Middle Ages (500-1500 CE). By examining the development of maritime economies in southern Mozambique, the nature and directionality of trade routes that linked interior and coastal communities, and the value of trade items across diverse paths of exchange and consumption, ENTANGLED will assess the agency of southern African communities in shaping global connections and contribute towards repositioning southern Africa in global history.