Laurajane Smith

Laurajane Smith is an Australian archaeologist. Smith's work examines the way in which Heritage operates within a community and informs individual identities.Smith has explored the intersections between Gender and Heritage through Feminist critique in multiple publications.

Smith completed a Bachelor of Arts with Honors, and continued her education to receive both a Doctorate of Philosophy and a Graduate Diploma in Higher Education from the University of Sydney, New South Wales.

Originally from Sydney Australia, Smith taught Indigenous studies at the University of New South Wales (1995-2000) and Heritage and Archaeology at Charles Sturt University (1990-1995). She directed the Masters program in Cultural Heritage Management at the University of York, UK before arriving at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia where she works today. She serves there as the Head of the School of Archaeology and Anthropology in addition to heading the Center for Heritage and Museum Studies. She is the editor of the International Journal of Heritage Studies and co-editor of the Key Issues in Cultural Heritage alongside William Logan.

Among Smith's publications that examine the politics of heritage, most notable is her book Uses of Heritage. It examined case studies of communities including the Waanyi Aboriginal people of northern Queensland and British citizens in West Yorkshire, England. She explored links between material culture and identity. Her work suggests that people are more mindful and active in their use of heritage than previously assumed by scholars.

Smith's current work researches the memories and identity conceptualizations of museum and heritage site visitors.

In 2018 she was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa for scientific merit by the University of Antwerp in Belgium.