Ken Stark

 

Office: Room 2370 (Richmond), Fir 207 (Surrey)
Phone: 604.599.2610 (Richmond), 604.599.3177 (Surrey)
Voice Mail: 9614
Email: ken.stark@kwantlen.ca

Courses Taught:

• Introduction To Archaeology
• Archaeology of the Old World
• Archaeology of the New World

Education: BA, University of British Columbia (1986); MA, University of British Columbia (1989); PhD University of Hawaii (1996).

Fieldwork Background: I have conducted archaeological fieldwork and research in Japan, Hawaii, Fiji and Indonesia.

Interests: My research interests include a wide variety of topics including the archaeology of East and Southeast Asia, prehistoric subsistence strategies in tropical regions, lithic technology (stone tool analysis) and mortuary analysis.

I am interested in studying patterns of change and adaptation in ancient human societies of the Asia/Pacific region. Some of the ways I have explored this include a study of variation in ancient burial practices on the island of Kyushu in Japan, and more recently, an analysis of stone tool-making and subsistence strategies used in prehistoric economies of eastern Indonesia. My primary goal lies in explaining the evolution and diversification of ancient technological and economic traditions in the southwestern Pacific region. I think this region can provide a wealth of data concerning how ancient societies adapted to varying environmental conditions in prehistory. In teaching, I try to impress upon my students the importance of integrating theory and methodology in archaeological research, and instill a greater understanding and respect for human cultural and biological diversity.

Selected Publications:

Latinis, D. Kyle and Ken Stark

2005 Cave use variability in central Maluku, eastern Indonesia. Asian Perspectives

44(1): 119-136.

Latinis, D. Kyle and Ken Stark

2003 Roasted dirt: assessing earthenware assemblages from sites in Central Maluku,

Indonesia. In, John Miksic (Ed.), Earthenware in Southeast Asia. Singapore:

Singapore University Press: 103-135.

Latinis, D. Kyle and Ken Stark

1998 Subsistence, arboriculture and prehistory in Maluku. In, Sandra Pannell and F.

Von Benda Beckmann (Eds.), Old World Places, New World Problems:

Exploring Issues of Cultural Diversity, Environmental Sustainability, Economic

Development and Local Government in Maluku, Eastern Indonesia. Canberra:

Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University.

Stark, Ken and D. Kyle Latinis

1996 The response of early Ambonese foragers to the Moluccan spice trade. Cakalele 7: 51-67.

Stark, Ken

1996 Alternative Rainforest Economies of Maluku, Indonesia: a Reply to the “Wild

Yam Hypothesis” from the Archaeological Record. Ph.D. Dissertation,

Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaii.

Stark, Ken and D. Kyle Latinis

1992 The archaeology of sago economies in central Maluku: an initial sketch.

Cakalele 3: 69-86.

Stark, Ken

1989 Wealth and Power in Yayoi Period Northern Kyushu. Master’s Thesis,

Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia.