Nkem Ike

Nkem Ike is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto specializing in Archaeology and Black Studies. Her research focuses on the intersection of anti-Black racial violence, geography, and memory in the United States during the early 20th century.

• PhD in Anthropology, University of Tulsa
• MA in History, University of Tulsa
• BA in American Studies, Oklahoma State University

Her work examines the archaeology of race massacres, utilizing GIS and archival data to map violence and its long-term impacts on Black communities in Springfield, IL, Tulsa, OK, and Rosewood, FL. She bridges Black Geographies with historical trauma studies.

Ike's recent publications highlight her methodology combining GIS analysis and community-based archaeology to interrogate the structural violence of white supremacist practices like dislocation and forced migration. Her research trends emphasize material culture and anti-racist frameworks in archaeology.

She collaborates with the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS) and works on projects related to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, including human remains analysis and memorialization efforts in the Greenwood District.