Kelly Kirby, PhD

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.

Kirby 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 PhD, a master’s degree in socio-cultural anthropology, a graduate certificate in museum studies from the University of Michigan, a BA 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.