Dr Andrew Piper

Biography

Dr Andrew Piper began his career as an archaeologist and spent much of his early working life employed in the cultural heritage industry in a variety of positions, including as an historian, archaeologist, curator and site manager in Africa, Australia, Micronesia and New Zealand. For some six years Dr Piper was Conservation Manager at the Port Arthur Historic Site. Later in life he pursued an interest in history and graduated with a PhD in Australian colonial history. Dr Piper has a research interest in the social and economic repercussions of incarceration and institutionalisation and in particular nineteenth century charitable and pauper asylums. He also has a research interest in the history of the family, particularly in colonial Australia. As well Dr Piper is especially interested in the use of physical fabric as historical primary sources, such as buildings and architecture, monuments and memorials, as well as cemeteries and grave markers. Educationally Dr Piper holds a BA (Hons) 1st class in Anthropology from the University of Otago (NZ), a MA (Hons) in Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology from the University of New England, and a PhD in Australian colonial history from the University of Tasmania. He has held several prestigious awards, including being New Zealand’s 1986 Commonwealth scholar to Australia. Dr Piper has also been active in a number of community and governmental organisations, including the National Trust of Australia, Tasmanian Heritage Council, and UNE’s Heritage Futures Research Centre. He has also drafted policy for the Australian Labor Party, and published widely on a range of heritage and historical topics.