Peter J. Whitridge

Peter J. Whitridge is a Professor in the Department of Archaeology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. His research focuses on the archaeology of the body, spatial dimensions of embodied experience, and Inuit colonization processes in Nunavut and Labrador, with recent work extending to contemporary Newfoundland. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in northern Labrador, including sites in Nachvak, Saglek, Hebron Fiords, and the Okak area, often collaborating with students and institutions like Université Laval.

Whitridge’s work examines Inuit interactions with landscapes, non-human entities, and European colonial influences. His recent projects include drone-mapping of Inuit sites and studies on contemporary archaeological phenomena like graffiti at Cold War sites. He actively supervises PhD, MA, and undergraduate students exploring topics such as Inuit gender relations, architecture, and animal use.

His publications span Arctic archaeology, zooarchaeology, and theoretical frameworks, with a focus on material culture, spatial scales, and interdisciplinary methods. Notable contributions include analyses of Inuit sled dog diets, iron sourcing in artifacts, and the role of dogs in social systems.