Nam C. Kim is a professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As an anthropological archaeologist, his research deals with early civilizations, and he is especially interested in humanity’s history of organized violence and warfare. Nam has conducted fieldwork in the U.S., Mesoamerica, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Since 2005 he has been conducting archaeological fieldwork near present-day Hanoi at Co Loa, one of Vietnam’s earliest cities. Tied to legendary accounts, Co Loa is considered to be the first political capital of an emerging Viet society.

He is also leading a new project examining the cultural legacies of “Operation New Life,” an American military operation situated on Guam in 1975 that resettled thousands of refugees at the end of the Vietnam War. As a former refugee himself, he seeks to reconstruct history and raise awareness about one of the most significant migration events of the recent past.

Nam holds a PhD in anthropology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a master’s in political science from New York University, and a BA in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania. His work has been featured online in lectures, interviews, and educational programs such as History Hit and The Great Courses. He has authored numerous articles and books, including The Origins of Ancient Vietnam and Emergent Warfare in Our Evolutionary Past. He has traveled extensively around the world, visiting iconic places such as Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, the Giza Plateau, Tikal, and Gyeongju. As a lifelong learner, he is always eager to exchange knowledge and share adventures with fellow travelers.