Monica Eileen Patterson

Monica Eileen Patterson is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, Carleton University. Holding a Ph.D. in Anthropology and History from the University of Michigan, she specializes in the intersections of memory, childhood, and violence in postcolonial Africa, with a focus on public representation and curatorial practices.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology and History, University of Michigan

Her research explores how violent pasts are engaged in public spaces, particularly through children’s cultural practices and museum studies. She co-edited Curating Difficult Knowledge and Anthrohistory: Unsettling Knowledge and Questioning Discipline.

Recent publications highlight her work in critical children’s museology, pandemic-era cultural collection, and re-curating testimonials in postcolonial contexts. She applies anthrohistorical methods to analyze gaps in memory and the ethics of representing trauma.