About
Prof. Dr. Peter Pels is a Professor of Anthropology and Sociology of Africa at Leiden University's Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. His research focuses on material culture, religion, heritage, and colonialism in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. He coordinates studies on modern conceptions of the future, museums, and heritage.
Education: PhD from the University of Amsterdam (1993), specializing in colonial interactions in Tanganyika. He edited Social Anthropology (2002–2007) and co-authored The Spirit of Matter (2023), exploring objects' cultural and religious power. His current projects include critical studies of race, heritage, and colonial collections.
Research emphasizes decolonizing methodologies, global heritage politics, and the anthropology of science fiction. He has supervised over 20 PhD candidates and secured grants like NWO Open Competition and NORFACE funding. His work bridges ethnography, history, and museum studies, addressing global inequalities and cultural classification.
