Professor of Anthropology
1963-2023
Dr. Paul Mullins passed away on Sunday, April 16th, 2023, at the age of 60, after a courageous 13-month battle with glioblastoma. Paul was a Chancellor’s Professor in the IU Indianapolis Department of Anthropology, an adjunct professor in Africana Studies, a former Fulbright Scholar, past President of the Society for Historical Archaeology, and a Docent at the University of Oulu in Finland. He earned his undergraduate degree in Communication Arts from James Madison University in 1984. From there, Paul would go on to earn his graduate degrees in Anthropology from the University of Maryland and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1990 and 1996, respectively. After three years as a visiting assistant professor at George Mason University, Paul joined IU Indianapolis’s Department of Anthropology in 1999 and immediately established a research program investigating the displacement of the Near Westside African American community and the vibrant material and cultural history of Ransom Place and Indiana Avenue. Over Paul’s 24 years at IU Indianapolis, he published four books, two edited volumes, and over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Concurrently, Paul developed and actively published two blogs entitled “Invisible Indianapolis” and “Archaeology and Material Culture” that continue to reach tens of thousands outside academia. Paul was awarded the John L. Cotter Award in 2000 from the Society for Historical Archaeology for outstanding achievement by an individual at the start of their career in historical archaeology. In 2024, he will be posthumously awarded the J. C. Harrington Award from the same organization for a lifetime of contributions to the discipline centered on scholarship.
In the classroom, Paul was the quintessential “sage on the stage,” teaching students to think critically about humanity’s production and consumption of material culture and the histories conveyed through objects ranging from war memorials and built landscapes to milk bottle caps and Barbies. He regularly taught an array of Anthropology courses for undergraduate and graduate students, including Modern Material Culture, Historical Archaeology, Archaeological Method and Theory, and the Archaeology of Dark Heritage, among others. Furthermore, between 2000 and 2009, Paul directed a series of archaeological field schools on campus in advance of various development projects. His archaeological field schools on and around IU Indianapolis’s campus afforded students the opportunity to learn proper excavation techniques and conduct documentary research, while working with community stakeholders to understand and acknowledge the effects of displacement and neighborhood destruction in the lives of former residents and their descendants. Paul’s approach to archaeological training and his commitment to collaboration with descendant communities has influenced a subsequent generation of archaeologists working with marginalized communities. Through these experiences and Paul’s ongoing mentorship, many of his students went on to become professional archaeologists and pursue graduate degrees in Anthropology and allied fields. As a testament to his dedication to students, Paul was awarded the Trustee’s Teaching Award in 2004 and the IU School of Liberal Arts’ Outstanding Academic Advisor Award in 2008.
Paul left an indelible mark on IU Indianapolis, the IU School of Liberal Arts, his department, and the profession. He served as the Chair of Anthropology for nine years (2006-2015) during which time many of the current faculty were hired and subsequently promoted due in no small part to his mentorship. At the campus level, Paul was intimately involved with initiatives enhancing community outreach, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion, such as the Civic Engagement Task Force, Committee on the Naming of Buildings and Structures, and the Charles Bantz Fellowship Committee. In recognition of his service to IU Indianapolis, Paul was awarded the Chancellor’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement in 2006 and, more recently, the 2017 Joseph T. Taylor Award for Excellence in Diversity. His university service occurred concurrently with an impressive record of disciplinary service. This included being a former President of the Society for Historical Archaeology, serving as an external reviewer for over 20 tenure and promotion cases, giving invited lectures at universities around the United States and abroad, and evaluating numerous book and journal-length manuscripts and grant proposals for a variety of university presses, prominent journals, and funding agencies. Paul had a profound impact on the current state of historical archaeology, both domestically and internationally, through his commitment to service and mentoring of junior scholars.
Paul was one of the most productive and prolific humanities scholars in residence at IU Indianapolis with a genuine commitment to public-facing research and dissemination. In many respects, Paul was the public face of our institution for current and former residents of our city’s Near Westside neighborhood. He worked on a range of archaeological and oral history projects in Indianapolis that brought to light the history of the almost-forgotten African American residential community that once inhabited the space now occupied by our university. It was largely due to his work in uncovering that history and reconnecting the campus with the displaced families and their descendants that there are historical markers across campus to commemorate the location of former structures once central to a vibrant community. Restoring that earlier history to public consciousness has altered the perspectives of many current administrators, faculty, and students, who now see our campus as a meaningful historical site, rather than simply as a stretch of mundane buildings and uninspired parking lots. In many ways, our institution’s efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion reflect Paul’s scholarship and commitment to racial justice and reconciliation. This includes the “Through their Eyes Memorial Scholarship” for descendants of those displaced by the university, and the creation of the Center for Africana Studies and Culture at the Madam Walker Legacy Center.
Paul is survived by his wife Marlys Johanne Pearson, his son Aidan Wayne Mullins-Pearson, his father Carroll Wayne Mullins, his brother Scott Andrew (Vickie) Mullins, and his nieces Lily and Janie Mullins.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of Dr. Mullins’ colleagues,
Jeremy Wilson, PhD, Chair, Anthropology
Wendy Vogt, PhD, Anthropology