Jennifer Kahn

Jennifer Kahn is a Professor of Anthropology at the College of William & Mary, specializing in the archaeology of chiefdom societies in Oceania. Her research investigates the development of social complexity in Polynesian chiefdoms through multi-scalar analyses of households, monumental architecture, and human-environment interactions. She holds a BA from UC Berkeley (1992), MA from University of Calgary (1996), and PhD from UC Berkeley (2005).

Her current projects include excavations in the Society Islands, Austral Islands, and Hawaiian Islands, focusing on topics such as taro farming sustainability, adze production networks, and coastal subsistence practices. Collaborative fieldwork emphasizes engagement with descendant communities. Lab-based research examines stone tool provenance and marine faunal assemblages.

Teaching interests include archaeological theory, household archaeology, and the politics of cultural representation. She actively seeks students for field and lab-based research collaborations, particularly in Oceania-focused projects. Current grant proposals target LIDAR mapping in Moʻorea and ethnobotanical studies of Rurutuan farming systems.

Key research themes include resilience in island socioecosystems, monumental architecture as power expression, and the interplay between domestic and ritual spaces. Her work bridges archaeological methods with interdisciplinary environmental science approaches.