Rate My Professor Charles Radclyffe

Dr. Charles J. T. Radclyffe is a Lecturer in the Archaeology programme at the University of Otago, where he serves as the first Pacific lecturer in the discipline. Born in the Solomon Islands of I-Kiribati and British descent, he earned his PhD in Archaeology from the University of Otago in 2020, with a thesis entitled 'Prehistoric settlement and networks of interaction in the Western Solomon Islands: A survey of Manning Strait.' He previously completed a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours at the same university in 2015, focusing his honours research on 'Archaeology and Shell Adzes in Prehistoric Oceania.' Over the past decade, Radclyffe has participated in and directed cultural research programs in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. One of the Solomon Islands' first archaeologists to hold a PhD, he specializes in archaeological and anthropological research in Oceania, including modelling human settlement patterns, investigating historical exchange systems, the development of pottery-making in the Solomon Islands, notions of land and identity, and indigeneity as an early career Pasifika researcher.

Radclyffe's key publications include 'Archaeology through tok stori: Negotiating the meanings, values and challenges of archaeological research in Solomon Islands' (Archaeology in Oceania, 2024, with G. Ale'eke-Bemama), 'Using kastom evidence in court: A legal and archaeological review of the intersection between Indigenous cultural heritage, land ownership, and law in Solomon Islands' (International Journal of Cultural Property, 2026, with J. D. Foukona), and 'Introduction: In our own words: Histories in languages of Oceania' (Journal of Pacific History, 2025, with N. Halter, J. D. Foukona, and M. C. Labriola). He has received the Royal Anthropological Institute's Emslie Horniman Award for research on prehistoric settlement and pottery production in the Western Solomon Islands, as well as the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship and the Royal Society Skinner Fund. Radclyffe coordinates and teaches ANTH204 Pacific and New Zealand Archaeology and ANTH208 Archaeological Methods, and contributes to ANTH405/505 Advanced Archaeological Excavation and ANTH409 Material Culture Studies. His community-centered approach emphasizes reciprocal relationships, publishing in Solomon Islands Pijin and English, and advancing cultural heritage management practices across the Pacific region.