Scott Anfinson presents himself:
I consider myself to be both a heritage management archaeologist and a midcontinental North American prehistoric archaeologist. I first specialized in the prehistoric archaeology of southwestern Minnesota, culminating with my 1987 PhD dissertation. My research interests rapidly broadened to encompass the entire state of Minnesota and all aspects of heritage management. These interests included doing extensive urban archaeology in the city of Minneapolis, leading a 10-year study of underwater archaeology, and becoming the interface between Minnesota’s tribal communities and the state government with regard to heritage preservation. Most recently, I led the Minnesota Statewide Survey of Historical and Archaeological sites, developing research programs in such diverse areas as radiocarbon dating, ruins preservation, lidar mapping of earthworks, and cultural landscapes in Minneapolis parks. You can see the reports from this on-going survey here.
I received my Bachelor’s and PhD degrees from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s Degree from the University of Nebraska, all in Anthropology with a specialty in Archaeology. My first professional job was directing a highway archaeological survey in Minnesota, followed by 15 years as the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Archaeologist and 10 years as Minnesota State Archaeologist. I taught heritage management and archaeology classes at the University of Minnesota from 2000 - 2015. I have written and edited a number of books on Minnesota archaeology including Southwestern Minnesota Archaeology and A Handbook of Minnesota Prehistoric Ceramics. Most recently, I wrote a national textbook entitled Practical Heritage Management published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2018.
I was awarded a Fulbright Grant in 2019 to study heritage management in Norway. I am looking at several major themes including Evaluating Significance and Worth, Sami Issues, Archaeological Aspects, and Architectural Aspects. My research methodology will rely on in-depth conversations with Norwegian experts in academic and agency settings, as well as visits to sites, structures, and museums that preserve and interpret cultural heritage.