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Department of Archaeology

 

Stanley Jachike Onyemechalu

Biography

I obtained both my B.A. (in Archaeology and Tourism) and M.A. (in Cultural Resources Management) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. My research interests cut across (Post-)Conflict Heritage and Memory, Nationalist/Separatist Conflicts, Decolonial Museum Approaches, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Community Archaeology - some of which have been published in International Journal of Heritage Studies, Ethnicities, International Journal of the Inclusive Museum and Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, etc. Outside of academia, I love food, football, politics and music.

Research

My Ph.D. research explores the impact of the Nigeria-Biafra War (1967-1970) and its legacies on the cultural heritage of present-day Igboland in southeastern Nigeria. I explore the complex relationship of conflict and intangible heritage, as well as the dissonances in memorialization, canonization, representation, and silencing. This will contribute an important intangible heritage perspective and a much-needed West African case study to the global heritage-conflict discourse.

Key Publications

Key publications
  • Onyemechalu, S. J. (2025). Intangible Heritage and Conflict: Legacies of the Nigeria-Biafra War. In: . Saloul, I. & Baillie, B. (eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict, pp. 1-11. Switzerland: Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61493-5_108-1
  • Onyemechalu, S.J., Viejo-Rose, D. (2025). The Roots of Recovery: Àbàchà and the Reconstruction of Intangible Heritage in Postwar Southeastern Nigeria. In: Munawar, N.A., Plets, G. (eds) The Politics of Post-Conflict Heritage Reconstruction: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, pp. 107-132. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81093-0_6
  • Onyemechalu, S. J., & Ugwuanyi, J. K. (2025). Nkali and Kolo-collecting in Eastern Nigeria: interrogating colonial collections of ọfϙ and Ikenga, Igbo objects of sovereignty and authority. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 31(6), 767–795. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2025.2496876
  • Onyemechalu, S. J., & Ejiofor, P. F. (2023). Long-distance nationalism, diaspora mobilisation, and the struggle for Biafran self-determination in Nigeria. Ethnicities, (Online First). https://doi.org/10.1177/14687968231208307
  • Onyemechalu, S. J. & Ugwuanyi, J. K. (2021). Íhé Ńkètá and Òkè: concepts and practice of indigenous cultural heritage management in the Igbo cultural area of south-eastern Nigeria. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 12 (4), pp. 609-624. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-12-2020-0177
  • Emeafor, O. F. & Onyemechalu, S. J. (2021) Objectivity in Museums: The Nigeria Civil War according to the National War Museum, Umuahia. The International Journal of The Inclusive Museum, 14 (1), pp. 49 – 70. https://doi.org/10. 18848/1835-2014/CGP/v14i01/49-70
Other publications

Visit my Google Scholar Page

Teaching and Supervisions

Research supervision
  • Supervisor: Dr. Dacia Viejo-Rose
  • Advisor: Prof. Paul Lane

Job Titles

PhD Student in Archaeology

General Info

Not available for consultancy
Research Expertise / Fields of study
Museum Studies
Socio-Politics of the Past
Heritage Management
Cultural Heritage

Contact Details

sjo50 [at] cam.ac.uk
LinkedIn
ORCID

Affiliations

Person keywords
Critical Heritage Studies, (Post-)Conflict and Memory, Sustainable Cultural Heritage Management, Museum Studies, Community Archaeology
Subjects
Heritage Studies
Themes
Heritage
Geographical areas
Africa

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Postal Address:
Department of Archaeology
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CB2 3DZ Cambridge

 

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