Ilona Bausch specializes in the prehistoric archaeology and heritage of East Asia, particularly with regard to early trade, social interaction, rituals, and worldview among the prehistoric Jōmon people of Japan. After studying Japanese language and culture at Leiden University (Netherlands), she specialized in Japanese and East Asian archaeology under Kobayashi Tatsuo (Kokugakuin University, Tokyo) and Gina Barnes (Cambridge University, Durham University), receiving her Ph.D. from Durham University (UK) in 2005. Since then, Ilona has lectured at Leiden University and at Tokyo University (Dept. of Cultural Resource Studies, 2014-2017), and is affiliated as associate scholar with LIAS (Leiden Institute of Area Studies) at Leiden University (Netherlands) and the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) in Norwich, UK. Currently she is teaching as a Visiting Professor for Japanese Art History at the Institute for East Asian Art History at Heidelberg University (Germany). Ilona has published several articles on the role of ritual and adornment in Jōmon society, and is currently preparing a volume on jade. Beyond her interest in how archaeological and historical heritage represents past and present identities in modern society, she is also interested in the diversity of archaeological representation in modern museums, media, politics, and social movements.
