Karina Croucher
Biographic Data
| ID | 242540 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Karina Croucher |
| GIVEN NAMES | Karina |
| FAMILY NAME | Croucher |
| SIGNATURE | CROUCHER K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bradford |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3040-9304 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 34 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
‘To read a life, to clothe the bones, to tell a story’
While death is universal, experiences of dealing with the dead and dying differ vastly, and yet despite the universality of our mortality, death can remain, for many, a difficult and challenging topic of conversation. This paper presents the methods and results of a creative approach to normalising talk of the dead, which draws on examples from archaeology (materials from the past) and ethnography (experiences from across the world) to demonstrat…
Death, bereavement and grief ‘etiquette’
Death, bereavement, and grief "etiquette" describes a felt-sense of "right," "wrong," "appropriate," "inappropriate," "should" and "must" in death and bereavement contexts. Etiquette was explored qualitatively through eleven semi-structured interviews with reflexive thematic analysis used to answer the question: Where does etiquette arise in death and bereavement contexts, and what does this "look like"? All but one participant were bereaved indi…
Place, Identity and Wellbeing
This paper presents ongoing collaborative, place-based research between the University of Bradford and partner organisations, exploring the importance of identity, and the role of heritage and culture, for wellbeing, cohesion and resilience. It discusses three 'parent' projects: Fragmented Heritage; Virtual Bradford; and Continuing Bonds, and seven interlinked subsidiary projects: Curious Travellers; Building Resilience through Heritage (BReaTHe)…
Digital Twins at the City and Town Scale
The last ten years have seen great strides in digital archaeological and heritage outputs, particularly with the use of three-dimensional (3D) digital documentation becoming increasingly commonplace. Methods that widen participation and increase access have led to valuable community-scale documentation, from artefacts to landscapes. As part of this workflow, the Visualising Heritage team at the University of Bradford, UK, and international collab…
Mediating worlds
Rituals are central to the everyday life of the nurse, yet the fundamental roles that rituals play in caring for the dead and dying has often been neglected. This paper explores modern palliative and post-mortem care – its practices, practitioners and arenas – against the background of long-held, global concerns regarding the dead and dying. Comparison with the archaeological and ethnographic records demonstrates the ubiquitous and enduring pract…
Etiquette in the Context of Death and Dying
Death, bereavement, and grief are experiences suffused with conflict and disenfranchisement. Intricately connected is 'etiquette' - the sense of 'should' 'must' 'right' 'wrong' 'appropriate' and 'inappropriate' individuals feel in death and bereavement situations. This paper is the first of two answering the question, 'where does etiquette arise in death and bereavement situations and what does this 'look like?'' The theme The etiquette of commun…
Dying 2 Talk
People in the Global North often have a problem talking about — and processing — the inevitability of death. This can be because death and care of the dying has been professionalised, with encounters of death within our families and communities no longer being ‘normal and routine’ (Kellehear 2005). Young people are particularly excluded from these conversations, with implications for future mental health and wellbeing (Ainsley-Green 2017). Workin…
Understanding Disability and Physical Impairment in Early Medieval England
Formulae display:?Mathematical formulae have been encoded as MathML and are displayed in this HTML version using MathJax in order to improve their display. Uncheck the box to turn MathJax off. This feature requires Javascript. Click on a formula to zoom
An exploration of the changing understandings of physical impairment and disability in early medieval England
This paper explores experiences and perceptions of physical impairment and disability in early medieval England, contrasting pre-Christian (AD 5th–early 7th centuries) and Christian (AD late 8th–11th centuries) communities through a combination of bioarchaeological, clinical, funerary, historical, and theoretical analyses. By comparing understandings of physical impairment and disability in the pre-Christian and Christian periods, this paper inve…
The Bioarchaeology of Disability
How can we mainstream mental health in research engaging the range of Sustainable Development Goals? A theory of change
Mental health is a leading cause of ill-health worldwide, disproportionately affects low-and-middle-income countries and, increasingly, is considered relevant across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hence, we ask: How can we mainstream mental health in research engaging the range of SDGs? We use the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) as a case study. In a previous scoping review, we purposefully sampled non…
Scales of relevance and the importance of ambiguity
Yes
Heritage and Higher Education
Assembling Archaeology
This work provides a radical rethinking of the relationship between teaching, researching, and practicing as an archaeologist in the 21st century. It addresses the undervaluation of teaching and how this affects the fundamentals of contemporary practice, and advocates a holistic 'assemblage' approach which challenges traditional power structures
From Plastered Skulls to Palliative Care
Modern, advanced healthcare detects and monitors long-term and life-limiting illness more comprehensively than ever before. Death is now, however, often considered as medical failure, and is a virtually taboo topic of conversation in daily life. At a time when the relevance of archaeology is under scrutiny, the AHRC-funded ‘Continuing Bonds’ project – a collaboration between archaeology and palliative care – explores the potential of the past to …
Keeping the dead close
Theories of Continuing Bonds, and more recently, the Dual Process of Grieving, have provided new ways of understanding the bereavement process, and have influenced current practice for counsellors, end-of-life care practitioners and other professionals. This paper uses these theories in a new way, exploring their relevance to archaeological interpretation, with particular reference to the phenomenon of the plastering of skulls of the deceased in …
Personal, Political, Pedagogic
In this paper, we consider how we can undercut the various binaries of gender and sexuality in archaeological practice and particularly in our teaching. We argue that taking an assemblage theory approach enables us to look at the multiplicity of identities of those practicing archaeology as different and intersecting assemblages that bring one another into being through their connections at different scales. In particular, we examine how this app…
Prioritizing death and society
Assembling archaeological pedagogy. A theoretical framework for valuing pedagogy in archaeological interpretation and practice
Drawing on relational theoretical perspectives in archaeological discourse, this paper considers how we can address the undervaluation of pedagogy and pedagogic research in archaeology. Through examining the relationships between fieldwork, teaching, and research, in light of Ingold's concept of the meshwork and DeLanda's assemblage theory, the division between teaching and research is undermined, and students and pedagogy are recentred as fundam…
Road my body goes
Recognizable throughout the world, the stone statues (moai) of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) represent the largest monolithic architecture produced in Polynesia. The exquisitely carved and finished head and torso of each statue testifies to a skill in stone carving and dressing unmatched throughout the Pacific. Yet, approximately one thousand 'classic' statues were produced at the quarries within a few hundred years. What was the ritual status of the …
Beyond human
No
Artificial cranial modification in prehistoric Iran
Figurines have traditionally been investigated in terms of their typology and related function. However, the figurine record may additionally contribute to studies of the body and identity, providing evidence into how the body may have been physically treated or manipulated, such as through examples of artificial cranial modification. We discuss this phenomenon with relation to skeletal evidence from Late Neolithic to Middle Chalcolithic Iran, pr…
Queerying Near Eastern archaeology
Near Eastern archaeology is traditionally characterized by a chronocentric approach, prioritizing the study of chronology and ‘culture groups’. Additionally, the sense of vision dominates most archaeological interpretations. Both these factors derive from modern, Western values. Using a case study of the Skull Building at Çayönü Tepesi, Southeast Anatolia, I propose a different way of experiencing and writing about Near Eastern archaeology. I als…
Queerying Near Eastern archaeology
Near Eastern archaeology is traditionally characterized by a chronocentric approach, prioritizing the study of chronology and ‘culture groups’. Additionally, the sense of vision dominates most archaeological interpretations. Both these factors derive from modern, Western values. Using a case study of the Skull Building at Çayönü Tepesi, Southeast Anatolia, I propose a different way of experiencing and writing about Near Eastern archaeology. I als…
Assembling Archaeology
This work provides a radical rethinking of the relationship between teaching, researching, and practicing as an archaeologist in the 21st century. It addresses the undervaluation of teaching and how this affects the fundamentals of contemporary practice, and advocates a holistic 'assemblage' approach which challenges traditional power structures
Road my body goes
Recognizable throughout the world, the stone statues (moai) of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) represent the largest monolithic architecture produced in Polynesia. The exquisitely carved and finished head and torso of each statue testifies to a skill in stone carving and dressing unmatched throughout the Pacific. Yet, approximately one thousand 'classic' statues were produced at the quarries within a few hundred years. What was the ritual status of the …
Assembling archaeological pedagogy. A theoretical framework for valuing pedagogy in archaeological interpretation and practice
Drawing on relational theoretical perspectives in archaeological discourse, this paper considers how we can address the undervaluation of pedagogy and pedagogic research in archaeology. Through examining the relationships between fieldwork, teaching, and research, in light of Ingold's concept of the meshwork and DeLanda's assemblage theory, the division between teaching and research is undermined, and students and pedagogy are recentred as fundam…
Understanding Disability and Physical Impairment in Early Medieval England
Formulae display:?Mathematical formulae have been encoded as MathML and are displayed in this HTML version using MathJax in order to improve their display. Uncheck the box to turn MathJax off. This feature requires Javascript. Click on a formula to zoom
Personal, Political, Pedagogic
In this paper, we consider how we can undercut the various binaries of gender and sexuality in archaeological practice and particularly in our teaching. We argue that taking an assemblage theory approach enables us to look at the multiplicity of identities of those practicing archaeology as different and intersecting assemblages that bring one another into being through their connections at different scales. In particular, we examine how this app…
Scales of relevance and the importance of ambiguity
Yes
Beyond human
No
Queerying Near Eastern archaeology
Near Eastern archaeology is traditionally characterized by a chronocentric approach, prioritizing the study of chronology and ‘culture groups’. Additionally, the sense of vision dominates most archaeological interpretations. Both these factors derive from modern, Western values. Using a case study of the Skull Building at Çayönü Tepesi, Southeast Anatolia, I propose a different way of experiencing and writing about Near Eastern archaeology. I als…
Artificial cranial modification in prehistoric Iran
Figurines have traditionally been investigated in terms of their typology and related function. However, the figurine record may additionally contribute to studies of the body and identity, providing evidence into how the body may have been physically treated or manipulated, such as through examples of artificial cranial modification. We discuss this phenomenon with relation to skeletal evidence from Late Neolithic to Middle Chalcolithic Iran, pr…
Road my body goes
Recognizable throughout the world, the stone statues (moai) of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) represent the largest monolithic architecture produced in Polynesia. The exquisitely carved and finished head and torso of each statue testifies to a skill in stone carving and dressing unmatched throughout the Pacific. Yet, approximately one thousand 'classic' statues were produced at the quarries within a few hundred years. What was the ritual status of the …
Beyond human
No
Assembling archaeological pedagogy. A theoretical framework for valuing pedagogy in archaeological interpretation and practice
Drawing on relational theoretical perspectives in archaeological discourse, this paper considers how we can address the undervaluation of pedagogy and pedagogic research in archaeology. Through examining the relationships between fieldwork, teaching, and research, in light of Ingold's concept of the meshwork and DeLanda's assemblage theory, the division between teaching and research is undermined, and students and pedagogy are recentred as fundam…
Prioritizing death and society
Personal, Political, Pedagogic
In this paper, we consider how we can undercut the various binaries of gender and sexuality in archaeological practice and particularly in our teaching. We argue that taking an assemblage theory approach enables us to look at the multiplicity of identities of those practicing archaeology as different and intersecting assemblages that bring one another into being through their connections at different scales. In particular, we examine how this app…
From Plastered Skulls to Palliative Care
Modern, advanced healthcare detects and monitors long-term and life-limiting illness more comprehensively than ever before. Death is now, however, often considered as medical failure, and is a virtually taboo topic of conversation in daily life. At a time when the relevance of archaeology is under scrutiny, the AHRC-funded ‘Continuing Bonds’ project – a collaboration between archaeology and palliative care – explores the potential of the past to …
Keeping the dead close
Theories of Continuing Bonds, and more recently, the Dual Process of Grieving, have provided new ways of understanding the bereavement process, and have influenced current practice for counsellors, end-of-life care practitioners and other professionals. This paper uses these theories in a new way, exploring their relevance to archaeological interpretation, with particular reference to the phenomenon of the plastering of skulls of the deceased in …
Heritage and Higher Education
Assembling Archaeology
This work provides a radical rethinking of the relationship between teaching, researching, and practicing as an archaeologist in the 21st century. It addresses the undervaluation of teaching and how this affects the fundamentals of contemporary practice, and advocates a holistic 'assemblage' approach which challenges traditional power structures
Scales of relevance and the importance of ambiguity
Yes
An exploration of the changing understandings of physical impairment and disability in early medieval England
This paper explores experiences and perceptions of physical impairment and disability in early medieval England, contrasting pre-Christian (AD 5th–early 7th centuries) and Christian (AD late 8th–11th centuries) communities through a combination of bioarchaeological, clinical, funerary, historical, and theoretical analyses. By comparing understandings of physical impairment and disability in the pre-Christian and Christian periods, this paper inve…
The Bioarchaeology of Disability
How can we mainstream mental health in research engaging the range of Sustainable Development Goals? A theory of change
Mental health is a leading cause of ill-health worldwide, disproportionately affects low-and-middle-income countries and, increasingly, is considered relevant across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hence, we ask: How can we mainstream mental health in research engaging the range of SDGs? We use the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) as a case study. In a previous scoping review, we purposefully sampled non…
Etiquette in the Context of Death and Dying
Death, bereavement, and grief are experiences suffused with conflict and disenfranchisement. Intricately connected is 'etiquette' - the sense of 'should' 'must' 'right' 'wrong' 'appropriate' and 'inappropriate' individuals feel in death and bereavement situations. This paper is the first of two answering the question, 'where does etiquette arise in death and bereavement situations and what does this 'look like?'' The theme The etiquette of commun…
Dying 2 Talk
People in the Global North often have a problem talking about — and processing — the inevitability of death. This can be because death and care of the dying has been professionalised, with encounters of death within our families and communities no longer being ‘normal and routine’ (Kellehear 2005). Young people are particularly excluded from these conversations, with implications for future mental health and wellbeing (Ainsley-Green 2017). Workin…
Understanding Disability and Physical Impairment in Early Medieval England
Formulae display:?Mathematical formulae have been encoded as MathML and are displayed in this HTML version using MathJax in order to improve their display. Uncheck the box to turn MathJax off. This feature requires Javascript. Click on a formula to zoom
Mediating worlds
Rituals are central to the everyday life of the nurse, yet the fundamental roles that rituals play in caring for the dead and dying has often been neglected. This paper explores modern palliative and post-mortem care – its practices, practitioners and arenas – against the background of long-held, global concerns regarding the dead and dying. Comparison with the archaeological and ethnographic records demonstrates the ubiquitous and enduring pract…
Digital Twins at the City and Town Scale
The last ten years have seen great strides in digital archaeological and heritage outputs, particularly with the use of three-dimensional (3D) digital documentation becoming increasingly commonplace. Methods that widen participation and increase access have led to valuable community-scale documentation, from artefacts to landscapes. As part of this workflow, the Visualising Heritage team at the University of Bradford, UK, and international collab…
‘To read a life, to clothe the bones, to tell a story’
While death is universal, experiences of dealing with the dead and dying differ vastly, and yet despite the universality of our mortality, death can remain, for many, a difficult and challenging topic of conversation. This paper presents the methods and results of a creative approach to normalising talk of the dead, which draws on examples from archaeology (materials from the past) and ethnography (experiences from across the world) to demonstrat…
Death, bereavement and grief ‘etiquette’
Death, bereavement, and grief "etiquette" describes a felt-sense of "right," "wrong," "appropriate," "inappropriate," "should" and "must" in death and bereavement contexts. Etiquette was explored qualitatively through eleven semi-structured interviews with reflexive thematic analysis used to answer the question: Where does etiquette arise in death and bereavement contexts, and what does this "look like"? All but one participant were bereaved indi…
Place, Identity and Wellbeing
This paper presents ongoing collaborative, place-based research between the University of Bradford and partner organisations, exploring the importance of identity, and the role of heritage and culture, for wellbeing, cohesion and resilience. It discusses three 'parent' projects: Fragmented Heritage; Virtual Bradford; and Continuing Bonds, and seven interlinked subsidiary projects: Curious Travellers; Building Resilience through Heritage (BReaTHe)…
History (15 works) · Archaeology (13 works) · Sociology (12 works) · History (9 works) · Political science (9 works) · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health (7 works) · Geography (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Ancient history (5 works) · Anthropology (5 works)