Membership Service Award Spotlight: Emily Miller Bonney
Emily Miller Bonney, Professor, Department of Liberal Studies, California State University, Fullerton, was awarded the 2020 ASOR Membership Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made special contributions on behalf of the ASOR membership, through committee, editorial, or office services.
After being elected to the Board in January 2019, became the chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the creation of ASOR’s Code of Conduct for the Annual Meeting. Defining such a code of conduct was no easy task in today’s environment. She and the committee needed to address contemporary concerns about what constitutes appropriate behavior in a professional setting and make clear what is expected of ASOR’s members, while simultaneously respecting members’ convictions that ASOR’s various codes of conduct (preeminently, the ASOR Code of Professional Conduct) should be aspirational rather than adjudicatory documents. The fact that the Code of Conduct Emily and her committee developed has been adopted by the Board of Trustees without any dissent is a testament to the excellent job Emily did in her role as ad hoc chair. Ultimately, Emily’s efforts have contributed to ensuring that ASOR members can engage in the active exchange of ideas in an atmosphere of safety and mutual respect, recognizing the diversity of ASOR’s membership and those who participate in the conference.
Emily’s research focuses on Bronze Age Crete and specifically on the application of extended mind and material agency theories to the relationship between the archaeological record and social/political/economic change. In addition, she examines the ways in which the specific disciplinary frameworks affect the conclusions scholars reach. Her recent work re-examines the mortuary evidence for social organization transitions in the Early Bronze Age on Crete, particularly the circular stone tombs, and for cross-crafting in pottery and other media.
She currently serves as the Treasurer for the Board of Trustees.