EP 350: Parisian Egyptologist and Author Dr. Angela Stienne

I am a creative and practice-based museum researcher exploring the intersection of museums, bodies and ethics. My background is as a historian of Egyptology and for a decade I explored academic and public engagement around the display of ancient Egyptian mummified bodies. What did that look like? Well I wrote a lot of dissertations on it! A bachelor's degree, then a master's and a PhD on Egyptian mummies in museums, which I did in the UK. I then did a postdoc on the topic, and did a whole lot of public talks and conferences, I once even gave a talk in a pub! I am really passionate about finding ways to engage the public with big ethical questions such as the collecting, retention, study and display of human remains in museums. I wrote a book about this, it came out last year and it's called Mummified, The stories behind Egyptian mummies in museums. I also work on creative health, storytelling and art-based projects in museums around questions of narratives and representations: I curated two exhibitions with refugees and asylum seekers in Leicester (UK) where I lived, and I run two digital projects: Mummy Stories (http://www.mummystories.com ) is a participative project on human remains in museums; The Lyme Museum (http://www.thelymemuseum.org ) is the first virtual museum with touring exhibitions exploring the lived experience of invisible illnesses and disabilities through visual storytelling and materiality.

In short, I spend a lot of time in front of my phone and laptop building communities, and then I run creative workshops, curate exhibitions, and consult for museums, all to make sure that museums and heritage sites have more expansive narratives, and give a voice to more people. I'm starting my second book, but this one will take longer, because I am juggling so many projects, but also because it's a lot more personal.

Link to my work: I can be found online in many places; a testament to the many hours I spend on a screen!
Mummy Stories: http://www.mummystories.com / @mummystories on Facebook
The Lyme Museum: http://www.thelymemuseum.org / @thelymemuseum on Instagram
My work: http://www.angelastienne.com / @angela_stienne on Twitter
My life: @museemporium on Instagram
My book: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526161895/ or order it for your library / bookstore!
A podcast I recorded with the BBC History programme: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cKoe6Om49ihECsEzWLDPp