Claire Warrior

Claire works on the history of material culture and museum collections from the Polar regions. Her PhD research used anthropological theory to examine how British polar histories are generated and sustained, particularly looking at the roles of the family and museum. She has also researched the ways in which museums have shaped interpretations of polar collections, how these histories have been presented to the public, the contribution of the polar regions to national identity, and how they have changed over time. A crucial element of her doctoral work was interviewing the descendants of polar explorers, to investigate the intersection between family and national histories, the relationship between person and place and the complex entanglements of public and private.

• Research projects / interests:
  • Histories of British polar exploration
  • material culture
  • kinship
  • family history

Keywords: museums, collections, material culture, exploration, kinship, family, anthropology, history