Lynn Meskell elected Fellow to the British Academy
The honor recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.
3 min. read
Meskell is the Richard D. Green Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor with joint appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences, the Weitzman School of Design, and the Penn Museum.
Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Lynn Meskell has been elected to the British Academy, the United Kingdom’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences.
Meskell is one of 92 new Fellows and is one of 30 International Fellows selected from universities in the United States, Ireland, South Africa, Singapore, China, Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Cyprus.
Meskell has published a dozen books, including ones examining natural and cultural heritage in South Africa, daily life in New Kingdom Egypt, and an award-winning study of the history of UNESCO. Since 2011, she has conducted an institutional ethnography of UNESCO World Heritage, tracing what the politics of governance and sovereignty mean for diplomacy, international conservation, and heritage rights. She has undertaken a large-scale survey project in Syria and Iraq to assess public opinion on heritage destruction and reconstruction. Other fieldwork includes analyzing conflict and cooperation in more than 1,200 World Heritage sites in India. Her new book will chart the rise of heritage warfare and securitization from UNESCO to NATO.
Meskell is the AD White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University (2019–2026), faculty fellow at Perry World House, fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, and founding editor of the Journal of Social Archaeology. She was just announced as a Getty Scholar for 2026 and has previously been awarded grants and fellowships from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Australian Research Council, the American Academy in Rome, the School of American Research, Utrecht University, Oxford University, and Cambridge University.
Susan J. Smith, president of the British Academy, says the new Fellows “bring years of experience, evidence-based arguments, and innovative thinking to the profound challenges of our age: managing the economy, enabling democracy, and securing the quality of human life.”
Founded in 1902, the Academy brings together more 1,800 world-leading leading scholars in the humanities and social sciences from the U.K. and overseas. The Academy is also a funder of both national and international research, as well as a forum for debate and public engagement.
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