Anthropology Newsletter Volume 4

Page 1

d pa r tment of

anthropolo 2010 2011 Ne wslette r • Vol ume 4

y

Contents 1

Letter from the Chair

2

Medical Anthropology Faculty - Matthew Kohrman

3 Medical Anthropology Faculty - S. Lochlann Jain 4 Medical Anthropology Faculty - Tanya Luhrmann 5 Medical Anthropology Post Doc Scholars - Julia Cassaniti and Jocelyn Marrow 7

Faculty Research - Thomas Blom Hansen

8 Faculty Research - Lynn Meskell 11 Department News 16 PhD Letter from the Field: Brian Codding 18 PhD Letter from the Field: Curtis Murungi 20 PhD Letter from the Field: Trinidad Rico 22 Undergraduate Fieldnotes: Lovelee Brown 24 Undergraduate Fieldnotes: Robert "Bodie" Manly 26 Alumni News 28 Alumni Profile: Sam Dubal 33 2009-2010 Awards 35 Anthropology Faculty

Letter from the Chair - Sylvia Yanagisako The 2010/2011 year has been a vibrant and busy year of renewal and growth in the Department of Anthropology. The department has benefited greatly from Stanford's strong financial rebound after two years of fiscal austerity. The university's thaw on faculty searches and salaries enabled us to undertake two new faculty searches in the fall: one for a sociocultural anthropologist at the assistant professor or early associate professor level, and another for an assistant professor in medical anthropology. These searches have enabled us to offer appointments to three anthropologists. Two have accepted our offer, and we are optimistic that the third will accept shortly. In fall this year, Angela Garcia will be joining the department as an assistant professor. Professor Garcia received her PhD in Medical Anthropology from Harvard in 2007 and has been teaching at the University of California, Irvine. She has distinguished herself as a rising star in medical anthropology, particularly on the topics of addiction, treatment, and psychiatry. Her book, The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession along the Rio Grande (University of California Press, 2010) was awarded the Pen First Book Award. One of its chapters was awarded the Stirling Prize, the highest award given by the Society for Psychological Anthropology. In this monograph, Garcia presents a compelling, ethnographically-rich study of heroin addiction among Hispanos living in a rural network of poor, Spanish-speaking villages in New Mexico, which has one of the highest rates of addiction in the country. She has also published articles in anthropology journals as well as popular megazines such as Harper’s. Professor Garcia is currently working on a summary of her work for the scientific literature of addiction psychiatrists. She has just initiated a new research project focused on addiction in Mexico. Professor Garcia's expertise on the U.S. southwest and Mexico will fill the department's need for a Latin Americanist and will contribute significantly to Stanford's Center to the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Kabir Tambar will also be joining the department as an assistant professor. Professor Tambar received his PhD in Anthropology at the University of Chicago in 2009 and has taught at the University of Vermont. His work examines the intersections of Islam, secularism, the state and religious diversity CONTINUED on PG 10


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Anthropology Newsletter Volume 4 by Stanford Anthropology - Issuu