Biography
Josette Rivallain is currently a lecturer at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, and a historian and archaeologist specialising in ethnoarchaeology. She also collaborates with a number of French museums in the archiving of collections of African ethnology, and the associated publications.
Dr Rivallain's research is on the comparative study of pre-monetary phenomena in European protohistory, and African ethnoarchaeology, and she holds a doctorate in history. Her thesis was titled "A Comparative Study of Pre-monetary Phenomena in European Protohistory and in African Ethnology".
Dr Rivallain taught at three different African universities from 1971 to 1984, and is currently involved with several scientific programs in Africa, including surveys of coastal sites in Benin and the Ivory Coast, and on the crafts of Benin, notably pottery, calabash, and basketry.
Keynote Presentation (2022): The Problem of Restitution of Museum Pieces: A Focus on Africa
