Karoline Noack

Karoline Noack is a full Professor of Ancient American Studies and Ethnology at the Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Bonn, where she also directs the BASA Museum (Bonn Collection of the Americas). She has held this position since 2009 and is a leading scholar in Andean studies, museum ethnology, and colonial Latin American history.

Her research interests are deeply interdisciplinary, focusing on:

• The Inca state and early colonial Andes, particularly in Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico
• Transculturation and gender in colonial contexts
• The history of ethnological knowledge, especially in the GDR
• Museum studies, collection ethics, and the decolonization of ethnographic museums
• Material culture and provenance research

Her recent scholarly output centers on dependency and mobilization in the Inca Empire, the global history of resources (like cotton and coca), and the role of museums in knowledge production. She has led major projects such as 'Balancing the Center and the Local' in Cochabamba and the KOSMOS collaborative project on object-based knowledge. Her publications span museum ethics, colonial legal history, and transcultural exchange.

Karoline Noack has received significant recognition, including:

• Membership in the German Archaeological Institute
• Fellowships from the Volkswagen and Gerda Henkel Foundations
• Membership in the DFG Review Board
• Leadership roles as Spokesperson for the Transdisciplinary Research Area 'Present Pasts' and Chair of BASS e.V.

She advises and mentors students in ethnology and archaeology, and her work involves extensive collaboration with international scholars and institutions. Her research is supported by major German funding bodies and is published in leading academic venues. She is also deeply involved in public engagement through museum curation and exhibitions.