Sociology and Anthropology

Dr. William Gblerkpor, Assistant Professor

Jacob Skousen

Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 2017
M.Phil. in Archaeology, University of Ghana, 2005
B.A. in Archaeologywith History, 2001

Contact Info

Office: Morgan Hall 404
Phone: (309) 298-1056
Email: WN-Gblerkpor@wiu.edu

Dr. Gblerkpor is the 2023 C.T. Vivian Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology. He is an archaeological anthropologist, cultural heritage specialist, and museum studies expert. His research and writing explore the dynamic role of material culture and landscapes in the historical and contemporary construction and maintenance of social identities and livelihoods in West Africa. He is interested in the archaeology of identities, cultural resource management, digital archaeology, environmental archaeology, climate change, biocultural and biodiversity heritage conservation, landscape archaeology, and conservation photography. He is the Director of the Krobo Mountain Archaeological Project and the West Africa Biocultural Heritage Conservation Program. Gblerkpor is the founding Director and Curator of The Museum of Natural and Cultural Heritage at Shai Hills.

Teaching Areas

Archaeological Anthropology, Sociocultural Anthropology

Courses

  • Anthropology 110: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
  • Anthropology 305: Applied Anthropological Methods

Journal Articles

Emmanuel Nyankson, Richard Q. Mensah, Lucky Kumafle, William N. Gblerkpor, Shadrack O. Aboagye, Bernard O. Asimeng & Elvis K. Tiburu. 2020. Dual application of natural clay material for decolorization and adsorption of methylene blue dye, Cogent Chemistry, 6:1, 1788291.To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23312009.2020.1788291

Gblerkpor, W.N. 2009. Archaeological Indications of Past Lifeways on the Krobo Mountain, Ghana. Ghana Social Science Journal Vol. 5 & 6; Nos. 1 & 2: 152-187.

Gblerkpor, W.N. “Current Archaeological Research at the Krobo Mountain Site, Ghana,” In Insoll, T. ed. 2008. Current Archaeological Research in Ghana. Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology. 74: 71-84

Gblerkpor, W.N. 2006. An Archaeological Investigation of the Krobo Mountain Settlement Site. Nyame Akuma. 65: 18-23

Book Chapters

Gblerkpor, William Narteh. 2021. “National Parks”. In Ghana Museums and Cultural Heritage – A Presidential Committee on Ghana’s Museums and Cultural Heritage. https://uploadsssl.webflow.com/5f996d35ec5186e5ba489e7a/5fe35e00cc57a455a535b127_National%20Parks%20-%20Museum%20Report%20%20optimised%20(v.2)%20-25-29.pdf

Elvis K. Tiburu, Richard Asiamah, Bernard O. Asimeng, Samuel Kojo Kwofie, Emmanuel Nyankson and William N. Gblerkpor. 2021. Electrochemical Response of Cells Using Bioactive Plant Isolates In Biosensors — Current and Novel Strategies for Biosensing. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.95360

Gblerkpor, W.N. and Nkumbaan. “Archaeology and Socio-political Engagement: The Case of the Krobo Mountain Archaeological Research,” In Anquandah, J., and Wazi Apoh, eds. 2014. Current Perspective on the Archaeology of Ghana. 304-324. Accra, Sub-Saharan Publishers. 

Nkumbaan, S.N. and William N. Gblerkpor. “Cultural Resources Management in Ghana,” In Anquandah, J., and Wazi Apoh, eds. 2014. Current Perspective on the Archaeology of Ghana. 304-324. 304-324. Accra, Sub-Saharan Publishers. 

Gblerkpor, W.N. “Material Culture and Ethnic Identity: The Case of the Krobo, Ghana”, In Lauer, H. et al eds. 2011.  Identity Meets Nationality: Voices from Humanities. 149-174. Accra, Sub-Saharan Publishers. 

Encyclopedia Entry

Gblerkpor, W.N. and Kodzo Gavua. “South Sudan,” In Falola, Toyin, and Daniel Jean-Jacques, eds. 2015. Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society [3 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society. 1128-1143. ABC-CLIO.

Book Reviews

Gblerkpor, W.N. Peter R. Schmidt, and Alice B. Kehoe (Eds.): Archaeologies of Listening. Afr Archaeol Rev 37, 643–645 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-020-09397-4