Danika Parikh

Danika Parikh is a Lecturer in Material Culture (Art History) at the University of Sussex's School of Media, Arts and Humanities. Previously, she held roles as Research and Engagement Fellow at the University of Cambridge Museums and Postdoctoral Research Associate at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Her research spans archaeology, material culture, critical museum studies, and anti-colonialism. She holds degrees from Durham and Cambridge Universities, focusing on South Asian archaeology and museum decolonization.

Her archaeological work explores craft production, early urbanism, and Indus Civilisation material culture. She has conducted fieldwork in northwest India with projects like Land, Water, and Settlement. Her museum studies focus includes leading initiatives like the RePresent Project and Untold Histories tours. She co-founded the European Society of Black and Allied Archaeologists and serves on the Council for British Archaeology's board.

Publications emphasize anti-racist archaeology, Indus socio-economic dynamics, and museum ethics. Notable works include a 2021 anti-racism manifesto and 2019 analysis of rural complexity in Indus ceramics. Her 2017 Current Anthropology paper on climate adaptation received significant citations.

Awards include the 2019 Cambridge education award for community museum work. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in art history and museum practices at Sussex, Cambridge, Essex, and Washington University. Active in public engagement, she appeared on BBC Radio 4's You're Dead to Me and contributes to media discussions on heritage and archaeology.