Kelly Kirby, Ph.D. (she/her)

Kelly Kirby is a cultural anthropologist, filmmaker, and Associate Professor of Anthropology. Her research focuses on African fashion/apparel/textiles, Visual Anthropology/Film Studies, African Diasporas, and issues surrounding diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility. She recently co-produced a short documentary titled Ardmore: Seen and Unseen, which focuses on the history of the Black community in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and the gentrification that is pushing them out. She is currently editing footage for a film she is directing and producing about the life of Senegalese fashion designer and entrepreneur Adama Paris. Kelly is continuing ethnographic research in Dakar in preparation for a monograph about the significance of bazin riche, a European-produced textile exclusively for West African consumption. She has published a book chapter in African Dress: Fashion, Agency, Performance, and a forthcoming article titled “Fashion Weeks in Dakar: Dressing to be Addressed” in the Fashion Studies Journal. She has presented her academic work at multiple national and international conferences. She holds a Ph.D., a master’s degree in Socio-Cultural Anthropology, a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Michigan, a B.A. in Anthropology (with a concentration in Archaeology and a Minor in African Studies) from the University of California San Diego and a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.