Participant Info

First Name
Alexandra F.
Last Name
Morris
Country
United Kingdom
State
Affiliation
Queen's University Belfast
Website URL
https://alexandrafmorris.wordpress.com/
Keywords
Ancient Egypt, Disability, Disability History, Ptolemaic Egypt, Alexander the Great, Hellenistic Period, Museums, Heritage, Museum Education, Art, Cerebral Palsy, Physical Disability
Availability
Media Contact
Additional Contact Information
PhD
PhD

Personal Info

Photo
About Me

Dr. Morris is a disabled Egyptologist, lecturer, and disability activist tying the past to the present. Her research is on disability in ancient Egypt, the Classical world, and creating inclusive museums. She is joining Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland as a Lecturer (Education) in Ancient History in January 2026. Alexandra is President of the Museum Education Roundtable, a Co-Founder of the UK Disability History and Heritage Hub, Co-President of CripAntiquity, serves on the Editorial Board for Asterion Hub, and Vice-President of the Disabled Action Research Kollective (D.A.R.K.). She has a BA in Archaeological Studies, Anthropology, and Art History with minors in Classics and History from SUNY Potsdam, an MA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Museum Studies from New York University, and a PhD in History from Teesside University.

Alexandra is a founder of a new field within ancient Egyptian archaeology and Egyptology, which is finally being recognised internationally roughly 12 years after its foundation. She is, along with Dr. Wade Berger, the Co-Founder of the Lived Experience with Disability in Museums research group, and fundamentally believes that disabled people have the right to learn about, work with, and see themselves reflected in history, ancient and modern, with as few barriers as possible. Additionally, Alexandra is a published author and editor in both academic and nonacademic spaces, with two of her more recent publications (2024) being the first ever two books on disability in ancient Egypt. She is currently working on her fourth and fifth academic books; a biography and a sourcebook which both center ancient disability. Through her work she has developed a speciality of getting nonacademics and alt-academics published in mainstream academic spaces. Alexandra has cerebral palsy and dyspraxia.

Recent Publications

Edited Volumes and Special Issues

Morris, A.F., H. Vogel, C. Bateman, K. Mercer, and M.A. Rodda. Disability Activism in and out of the Academy: Classical Studies, Pedagogy and Practice. Part of the Classics In and Out of the Academy: Classical Pedagogy in the Twenty-First Century Series, editors Fiona McHardy and Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz. In Press, expected publication March 2026.

Morris, A. F. and H. Vogel.  Disability in Ancient Egypt and Egyptology: All Our Yesterdays. Part of the Routledge Studies in Ancient Disabilities Series, series editor Emma Jayne Graham. December 2024.

Morris, A.F. with A. Robledo-Allen Yamamoto, K. Zankowicz, and A.  Kim Neighbors. “I Quit!: Acknowledging Burnout and the Need for Empathy and Self- Care in Museum Education,”Journal of Museum Education: Virtual Special Issue (September 2023).

Books and Book Chapters

Morris, A. F. Disability in Ptolemaic Egypt and the Hellenistic World: Plato’s Stepchildren. Part of the Routledge Studies in Ancient Disabilities Series, series editor Emma Jayne Graham. November 2024.

Morris, A. F. “Dagger of the Mind: Macedonian Kings and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)” In Christian Laes and Irina Meltzer (editors). “Madness” in the Ancient World: Innate or Acquired? From Theoretical Concepts to Daily Life. Brepols Publishing, December 1, 2023.

Morris, A. F. “Patterns of Force: Receptions of Agesilaus II, Disability, and Greek Sexuality,” In Kenneth Moore (editor). The Routledge Companion to the Reception of Ancient Greek and Roman Gender and Sexuality. Taylor & Francis, August 1, 2022.

Morris, A. F. “The Conscience of the King: Alexander the Great and the Ancient Disabled.” In Kenneth Moore (editor). Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Alexander the Great. Leiden: Brill Publishing, June 1, 2018.

Journal Articles

Morris, A. F.  and Wade Berger. “Inclusive Museums for Children with Disabilities: Utilising Disabled Expertise to Create More Inclusive Museums,” Proceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference (IDC ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, (2024): 874–876.

Morris, A. F. “Cerebral Palsy in Ancient Egypt,” Pediatric Stroke 5 (2023): 1-28.

Morris, A. F. “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield: Tutankhamun and Disability,” Athens Journal of History, 6.1 (2020): 53-72.

Morris, A. F. “Alexander the Great: Head to Head with CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy),” Athens Journal of History 3.3 (2017): 225-234.

Morris, A. F. “Augustus and the Use of Propaganda in Official Portraits,” Collegiate Anthropologist  32.1 (2010): 16-21.

Book Reviews

Morris, A. F. Book Review: Disability, Pain and Medicine in Early Christianity-(SR) Holman, (CL) de Wet,(JL) Zecher (edd.) Disability, Medicine, and Healing Discourse in Early Christianity. New Conversations for Health Humanities. Pp. viii+ 186. London and New York: Routledge, 2024. Cased, £130, US49. 99. ISBN: 978-0-8028-7684-3. The Classical Review. January 2025.

Morris, A. F. “Book Review: Museum Accessibility by Design: A Systemic Approach to Organizational Change by Maria Chiara Ciaccheri, (London: Roman & Littlefield, 2022),” Journal of Museum Education, (July 11, 2023): 208-210.

Outreach Publications

Morris, A. F. “The Study of Disability in Ancient Egypt and Beyond,” The Ancient Near East Today, Vol 13.5, May 2025, https://anetoday.org/disability-ancient-egypt/

Morris, A. F. “Tomorrow is Yesterday: Disability in Ancient Egypt,” May 16, 2024, History Workshop, https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/disability-history/tomorrow-is-yesterday- disability-in-ancient-egypt/

Morris, A.F., K.L. Jordan, G. Barker, and R. Whiting, “Eight Histories of Disabled People in Ancient Egypt,” December 17, 2024, The British Museum Blog, https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/eight-histories-disabled-people-ancient-egypt

Morris, A. F. Interviewed for “Voices on Anti-Ableism,” Museums Journal: The Anti-Ableism Issue. (September 2023).

Morris, A. F. (Editor & Introduction Writer). Alexander the Great. Flame Tree Press, July 19, 2022.

Morris, A.F. and D. Sneed. “Blog: A Brief Guide to Disability Terminology & Theory in Ancient World Studies,” August 30, 2021, Society for Classical Studies, https://classicalstudies.org/scs-blog/alexandra-morris/blog-brief-guide-disability-terminology-and-theory-ancient-world-studies

Media Coverage
I have appeared previously on BBC News, and various podcasts on Alexander the Great and history. I have also been interviewed prior in The Guardian, Lewisboro Ledger, Rockstar Anthropologist, Museums Association, and the CUCD Bulletin.
Country Focus
Ancient Egypt and Greece
Expertise by Geography
Africa, Mediterranean
Expertise by Chronology
Ancient
Expertise by Topic
Art & Architectural History, Disability, Libraries & Archives, Material Culture, Medicine, Museums, Pedagogy, Public History