Alice Beck Kehoe (born 1934, New York City) is a feminist anthropologist and archaeologist. She has done considerable field research among Native American peoples in the upper plains of the US and Canada, and has authored research volumes on Native American archaeology and Native American history. She is also the author of several general anthropology and archaeology textbooks.
(see full biography on Wikipedia)
In 2016, the Plains Anthropological Association honored Kehoe with its Distinguished Service Award for her “enduring work in Anthropology and Archaeology of the Great Plains.”
Alice's colleagues among the Senior Anthropologists honored her in November, 2022, with a certificate of appreciation for “her years of inspired leadership and countless contributions.”
The session “Celebrating Alice: Recognizing the Many Contributions of Alice Beck Kehoe” took place on Thursday, April 24, 2025, during the 90th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Denver.
From left to right: Anne Pyburn, Elizabeth Hoag, Alex Barker, Sharisse McCafferty, Shannon Plank, Alice Kehoe, Jeanne Gillespie.
The session abstract described her: Alice Beck Kehoe has been a multidimensional scholar throughout her amazing career in Anthropology and Archaeology. She has authored and/or edited over 20 books, the newest boldly titled, “Truth & Power in American Archaeology.” Her interests are truly diverse, covering Native American nations (Blackfoot, Cree, Osage), Mississippian, and Mesoamerican Archaeologies, Pre-Columbian voyaging and contacts, Shamanism, and not least of all Engendering Archaeology. Alice has been an ice breaker through the frozen tundra of the “Old Boys Network” from the 1950s through to the current day. She has been a strong model for women in Anthropology and Archaeology and it is high time that Alice Beck Kehoe be honored for all her struggles and successes in academia. She is an omnipresent participant in conferences where she consistently challenges other scholars to think critically and creatively. In this SAA session we hope to highlight the many facets and influences of her illustrious career by hosting a conference session in her honor.