Anthropology
Ph.D.
University of Florida
2002
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Faculty
Faculty
Flordeliz T. Bugarin, Ph.D. ( She/Her)
Associate Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department/Office
- African Studies
School/College
- College of Arts & Sciences
Biography
Dr. Flordeliz T. Bugarin is an anthropologist and archaeologist whose work examines Africa and the African Diaspora through questions of race, power, social justice, and cultural heritage. She is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in African Studies at Howard University, with specializations in historical and Iron Age archaeology, cultural anthropology, and applied anthropology. Her research includes examining artificial intelligence, structural racism, and knowledge production in archaeology, as well as exploring how AI can support research, teaching, and heritage preservation and management.
Her archaeological research explores colonialism, trade and exchange, slavery, and the ways people built their lives within unequal social and economic systems, including communities established during late Reconstruction. Her work also addresses gender and the archaeology of childhood, examining children’s lives through the material traces they left behind. She has conducted fieldwork and research in South Africa, The Gambia, Benin, and the United States. Her applied interests include environmental studies, heritage conservation, international development, poverty alleviation, and anti-racism initiatives within professional organizations.
These longstanding interests inform her current AI projects, including a Howard-funded investigation of AI, structural racism, and social justice in archaeology, and a Wenner-Gren-funded initiative exploring anthropology program development, including potential applications of AI. She also engages students in qualitative and quantitative analysis, the digitization of archaeological collections from The Gambia for preservation, and testing the viability of AI-assisted artifact identification. Across these efforts, she considers whose knowledge informs these technologies, how they shape interpretations of the past, and how their use may benefit or harm communities.
Education & Expertise
Education
Anthropology
M.A.
University of Florida
1996
Anthropology
B.A.
University of California, Berkeley
1991
Expertise
Africa and the African Diaspora
Historical, archaeological, and anthropological approaches to African and African Diaspora communities, with research in South Africa, The Gambia, Benin, and the United States.Artificial Intelligence, Social Justice, and Cultural Heritage
Dr. Bugarin brings an anthropologist’s perspective to a central question in artificial intelligence: whose knowledge shapes these technologies, and whom do they benefit or harm? Her work includes Howard- and Wenner-Gren-funded projects exploring AI, structural racism, archaeology, and anthropology program development, alongside exploratory applications in artifact identification and collections digitization. She combines research leadership, teaching, and community engagement with foundational training through OpenAI Academy’s AI Foundations credential and Anthropic’s AI Fluency for Nonprofits course.Historical Archaeology, Colonialism, and Trade
Archaeological investigation of colonial encounters, trade and exchange, and social transformation, with particular expertise in Xhosa–British interaction on South Africa’s Eastern Cape frontier.Archaeology of Slavery and African American Communities
Research on slave-trading sites in West Africa, the lives of enslaved people in the United States, and African American community formation following emancipation, including Nicodemus, Kansas.Archaeology of Childhood and Gender
Dr. Bugarin examines children’s lives, gender, and everyday social relationships through material culture and archaeological evidence. Her master’s research drew on library and archival sources to investigate the lives and livelihoods of Hadzabe children in Tanzania, examining how childhood was defined within this foraging society and how children contributed to subsistence.Cultural Heritage Preservation and Management
Research and applied work on archaeological conservation, heritage tourism, cultural resource safeguards, and threats to African heritage, including trafficking and destruction.Digital Documentation of Archaeological Collections
Digitization and documentation of archaeological materials using photography, photogrammetry, and digital tools to support preservation, analysis, teaching, and interpretation.Environmental Ethics, Appropriate Technology, and Sustainable Development
Collaborative scholarship examining African and Africana ethics, community engagement, appropriate technologies, and approaches to sustainable development and poverty alleviation.Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion
Professional leadership and scholarship addressing structural racism, representation, mentorship, and organizational change within archaeology and anthropology.Public Archaeology and Community Engagement
Collaborative research, heritage interpretation, museum contributions, and educational initiatives connecting archaeological knowledge with communities and public audiences.Anthropological and Archaeological Research Methods
Dr. Bugarin conducts mixed-methods research integrating material-culture analysis, archival research, oral traditions and testimonies, ethnographic observation, surveys, interviews, and qualitative and quantitative analysis. Her experience includes drone and helicopter surveys, metal-detector surveys, photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and mapping using ArcGIS, total stations, and GPS. She uses Excel for data organization and analysis and has prior experience with SPSS for quantitative analysis and QSR NUD*IST for qualitative analysis.Experiential Learning, Study Abroad, and Research Mentorship
Dr. Bugarin designs and directs archaeological field schools, laboratory and community internships, and student research experiences that connect classroom learning with fieldwork, collections, and community engagement. She has extensive experience developing study abroad and international research programs, as well as educational field trips for students and volunteers.Areas of Expertise
African History, Culture & Studies
Archaeology
Artificial Intelligence
Colonialism and Colonial History
Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
African American history
Anthropology
Cultural anthropology
Social inequality
Ethnography
Sociology of poverty
Academics
Academics
AFST 101: African World, Introduction to Contemporary Africa
AFST-182 Seminar in Regional Studies: Southern Africa
AFST 120 Trafficking and Destruction of African Heritage
AFST-121 Environment and Society in Africa
AFST 184/ AFST 185 Directed Research
AFST 230-211 Scope and Methods of African Studies
ANTH Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH Applied Anthropology
ANTH Urban Anthropology
ANTH Gender and Anthropology
ANTH The Archaeology of the African Diaspora
ANTH Archaeological Method and Theory
Research
Research
Specialty
Archaeology of Africa and the African Diaspora; artificial intelligence, structural racism, and cultural heritage; colonialism, slavery, and trade; archaeology of childhood; environmental ethics and sustainable development.Funding
Selected Research Grants and Fellowships
- Wenner-Gren Foundation Global Initiatives Grant, 2024 — $20,000 for “Anthropology, AI, and the African World,” exploring anthropology program development, including potential applications of artificial intelligence.
- Howard University College of Arts and Sciences AI Research Grant, 2024 — $5,000 for “Unearthing Bias: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Identify Structural Racism and Social Justice Dynamics in the Archaeology of Africa and the African Diaspora.”
- Howard University Research Resources and Small Equipment Program, 2012–2013 — $10,000 awarded jointly with Dr. Eleanor King and Mr. Mark Mack for “Health, Environment, and Culture: The Acquisition of Equipment for Microscopic Analysis and the Documentation of Biological and Archaeological Materials.”
- Howard University Advanced Summer Faculty Research Fellowship, 2012 — $15,000 awarded by the Office of the Associate Provost for Research.
- Mellon Foundation Fellowship, Salzburg Global Seminar, 2012 — Supported participation in Session 501, “China in the 21st Century: What Kind of World Power?” held December 4–9, 2012, at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria.
- National Park Service African American Experience Grant, 2009–2012 — $10,000 supporting archaeological research and field-school activities at Nicodemus, Kansas.
- National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Grant, 2009–2012 — $19,997.94 supporting archaeological research and field-school activities at Nicodemus, Kansas.
- Howard University New Faculty Grant, awarded for fiscal years 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 — $50,000 for archaeological and conservation research at James Island, now Kunta Kinteh Island, The Gambia.
- National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Grant, fiscal year 2007–2008 — $20,000 awarded to the Kansas State Historical Society, which supported Dr. Bugarin’s work as Principal Investigator of the Nicodemus archaeological research project.
- Wenner-Gren Foundation Richard Carley Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2004–2005 — $30,000 supporting anthropological scholarship.
- Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education, 1998–1999 — Supported a full year of doctoral dissertation research in South Africa on trade and interaction between Xhosa and British communities on the Eastern Cape frontier.
Group Information
Dr. Bugarin’s collaborative research connects faculty, students, heritage professionals, and community partners through archaeological fieldwork, collections research, and public engagement. Her projects include research at Fort Willshire in South Africa, Kunta Kinteh Island (formerly James Island) in The Gambia, and Nicodemus, Kansas, alongside collaborative work in Benin. Student research opportunities include collections documentation, qualitative and quantitative analysis, digitization, and exploratory testing of AI-assisted artifact identification.Accomplishments
Accomplishments
Wenner-Gren Foundation Global Initiatives Grant, 2024
Awarded $20,000 for “Anthropology, AI, and the African World,” an initiative exploring anthropology program development, including potential applications of artificial intelligence.Howard University College of Arts and Sciences AI Research Grant, 2024
Awarded $5,000 for “Unearthing Bias: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Identify Structural Racism and Social Justice Dynamics in the Archaeology of Africa and the African Diaspora.”Elected Board Member, Archaeological Institute of America, Washington, DC Society, 2022–2026
Elected to serve on the society’s board, supporting archaeological scholarship and public engagement.Howard University College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Service Award, 2021–2022
Recognized for outstanding service to the College of Arts and Sciences.Elected Member of the Board of Directors for the Society for Historical Archaeology, 2017-2021
Elected to the governing board of an international scholarly organization dedicated to the archaeology of the modern world.Nicodemus Research Featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, 2016–Present
Archaeological research and collections from her Nicodemus, Kansas, project are featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Collaborated with museum historian Dr. Spencer Crew on the exhibit.Chair, Gender and Minority Affairs Committee, Society for Historical Archaeology, 2012–2018
Appointed by the society’s president to lead the Gender and Minority Affairs Committee, advancing initiatives addressing diversity, equity, and anti-racism within archaeology.
Elected USA Representative, World Archaeological Congress Assembly, 2008 and 2013
Represented the United States at the Sixth World Archaeological Congress in Dublin, Ireland, in 2008, and the Seventh World Archaeological Congress at the Dead Sea, Jordan, in 2013.
Mellon Foundation Fellow, Salzburg Global Seminar, 2012
Awarded a Mellon Foundation Fellowship to participate in Session 501, “China in the 21st Century: What Kind of World Power?” at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria.
USA Representative to the Assembly for the Sixth World Archaeological Congress, 2008
Served as the elected USA Representative to the Assembly for the Sixth World Archaeological Congress, June 30 – July 4, 2008, Dublin, Ireland.
Richard Carley Hunt Postdoctoral Fellow, Wenner-Gren Foundation, 2004-2005
Awarded a $30,000 postdoctoral fellowship supporting anthropological scholarship.Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellow, 1998–1999
Awarded a U.S. Department of Education fellowship covering a full year of research and living expenses in South Africa for doctoral dissertation research on trade and interaction between Xhosa and British communities on the Eastern Cape frontier.
Featured News
Featured News
- Society for Historical Archaeology “Meet a Member” profile — January 20, 2016. https://sha.org/membership/meet-member-florie-bugarin/.
- Graham County, Thomas Johnson/Henry Williams Farm (14GH102) & Nicodemus District 1 School House (14GH103), 2007. https://www.kansashistory.gov/p/kansas-archeology-training-program-past-field-school-sites/20634.
- Reflections on the 2008 SHA Conference, https://archaeolog.stanford.edu/2008/01/25/reflections-on-the-2008-sha-conference/.