Lucy Gil

Research Interests: Collaborative Archaeology, Historical Ecology, Human-Animal Relationships, Central America

About:

Lucy’s research sits at the intersection of anthropological archaeology and historical ecology, employing community-based participatory research practices as the foundation for empirically rigorous data collection and theoretical formulation. She co-directs Darién Profundo, a collaborative project based in eastern Panama, which employs community mapping, paleoecology, and ethnography, in addition to archaeological field and laboratory methods, to document the deep local history of Darién Province. These investigations have implications for ecological conservation and Indigenous sovereignty within the area, and her work develops strategies for collaboration with various stakeholder communities, at all phases of the research process. She is also collaborating with the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, on whose ancestral lands UC Berkeley sits, to develop noninvasive archaeological methods that can document and protect sacred ancestral sites. In the classroom, Lucy works with K-12 teachers and other university educators to improve multicultural heritage literacy in the United States.