News
UCHRI grants advance Humanities research on campus
January 17, 2025
This year, UC Santa Cruz researchers are advancing cutting-edge projects that tackle critical issues such as antiracist education, environmental resilience, and the intersections of identity and power, with critical funding from the University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI).
Honoring UCSC’s 2024 Alumni Awards recipients
January 13, 2025
Six alumni were honored on Oct. 25 at the Alumni Awards Celebration dinner. Learn more about each recipient and watch their video feature.
New strontium isotope map of Sub-Saharan Africa is a powerful tool for archaeology, forensics, and wildlife conservation
January 6, 2025
Researchers mapped predicted bioavailable strontium isotope ratios across most of the African continent. Matching values from the map against those observed in artifacts and plant, animal, and human remains will help to identify their most likely regions of origin within Africa.
Creating enchantment in Senegal
November 14, 2024
UC Santa Cruz Humanities Professor Gina Athena Ulysse was invited to participate as a featured artist for the prestigious Dakar Biennale (Dak'Art), which the New York Times called “Africa’s hottest art event” and “Africa’s most prominent cultural gathering.”
Dolly Kikon’s new film Abundance selected for South Asia Film Festival, showcasing Indigenous Worlds in Nagaland
November 12, 2024
UC Santa Cruz Anthropology Professor Dolly Kikon's documentary highlights the ecological and cultural richness of Nagaland. The film will be screened on campus this Wednesday, November 13.
Social Sciences Division welcomes new faculty
October 7, 2024
UC Santa Cruz’s Social Sciences Division is welcoming 10 outstanding new faculty members this academic year.
Guiding generosity
August 19, 2024
Lora Hollingsworth, Executive Director of Gift Planning , helps donors craft their philanthropic legacies
Diane Gifford-Gonzalez elected to the National Academy of Sciences
May 8, 2024
Distinguished Research Professor Emerita of Anthropology Diane Gifford-Gonzalez was recently elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Gifford-Gonzalez is a trailblazer in the field of zooarchaeology, which uses animal remains to gain new insights into the deep history of humans and animals.
Anthropologists document how women and shepherds historically reduced wildfire risk in Central Italy
April 25, 2024
Fire management lessons from the past could help to improve resilience as the Mediterranean faces increased fire risk from climate change. UC Santa Cruz Anthropology Professor Andrew Mathews and his research partners show how traditional land management practices once dramatically reduced fuel for wildfires, and how these practices were forgotten, in part due to historical politics of classism and sexism.
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members named 2023 AAAS fellows
April 18, 2024
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members have been named 2023 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Diane Gifford-Gonzalez, emerita distinguished research professor of anthropology; longtime journalist Robert Irion, emeritus director of UC Santa Cruz’s science communication master’s degree program; and acclaimed paleo-geneticist Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
The UCSC Music Department presents "The World Making Aura of Sonic Blackness" with Moor Mother & James Gordon Williams
February 26, 2024
On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the University of California, Santa Cruz Music Department presents a very special performance by guest artist Moor Mother (Camae Ayewa) and James Gordon Williams, assistant professor of music composition at UC Santa Cruz in the Recital Hall of the Music Center.
The Center for Creative Ecologies presents "Nuclear Nows: Contemporary Art, Radiation, and Militarized Ecologies”
February 26, 2024
This two-part symposium is the work of Zoe Weldon-Yochim, a Ph.D. Candidate in Visual Studies, in collaboration with T.J. Demos, Professor in the Department of the History of Art and Visual Culture and Director of the Center for Creative Ecologies, and will discuss the intersection of contemporary art, militarized ecologies, and nuclear nationalism.
Pursuing cultural anthropology
February 06, 2023
Gabriel Ephraim Kaplan Wall was awarded the Jeremy Demian Marx Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
Anthropology PhD students Camille Louis and Marc Joseph Contribute to Article Published in Heritage
July 13, 2020
UCSC Anthropology PhD Candidate Brian Walter Publishes Article in Journal of Rural Studies
April 24, 2020
"Nostalgia and Precarious Placemaking in Southern Poultry Worlds: Immigration, Race, and Community Building in Rural Northern Alabama" by UCSC Anthropology Ph.D. student, Brian Walter, published in the Journal of Rural Studies.
Restaurant, elementary school, and basket weaver reflect the persistence of Native Californians
January 9, 2020
Throughout California, Native communities persist in maintaining traditional practices and narratives despite mainstream, colonial dominance.
Front Page News: Assistant Professor Tsim Schneider's Research on Persistence of Coast Miwok Featured in San Francisco Chronicle
September 9, 2019
Front Page News: Assistant Professor Tsim Schneider's Research on Persistence of Coast Miwok Featured in San Francisco Chronicle
Ph.D. Alum Xóchitl Chávez Publishes Article in Oxford Bibliographies
August 19, 2019
"Chicana/o Ethnography" has just been published on Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies Xóchitl Chávez and Pablo Lopez. Chávez completed a Ph.D. in Anthropology at UC Santa Cruz in 2013.
Anthropology Digital Storytelling Internship Teaches Technical Processes - And Life Skills
August 19, 2019
The Department of Anthropology is proud to present the work of four movitivated high school students, who spent the summer studying digital storytelling with mentors Dr. Annapurna Pandey and Dr. Kati Greaney through the Science Internship Program. This internship program prepares bright bright high school students with professional digital storytelling skills and valuable life experience
'Road To Zuni', By Lecturer Annapurna Pandey, Wins At Gallup Film Fest
June 3, 2019
'Road To Zuni', a film by Department of Anthropology Lecturer Annapurna Devi Pandey, won recognition as Best Documentary Short at the 2018 Gallup Film Festival.
Three Anthropology Junior Faculty Become Hellman Fellows
April 3, 2019
Three junior faculty members from the Department of Anthropology will each be awarded Hellman Fellowships for 2019-20. Assistant Professors Nidhi Mahajan, Savannah Shange, and Jerry Zee have all joined the department in the past two years and were selected for this award, which aims to provide early career funding for faculty members early in their careers.
Ph.D. Student, Alums in Archaeology Subfield Meet with String of Successes
April 1, 2019
The UC Santa Cruz Anthropology Ph.D. program has seen a string of successes among current and past students who have focused on archaeology.
Prof. Ramirez Named as Co-PI in UCOP Critical Mission Studies Grant
March 13, 2019
Professor Renya Ramirez has been asked to join the Critical Mission Studies Multi-Campus Research Project recently awarded by the UC Office of the President as a Santa Cruz Co-Principle Investigator. The grant supports a two‐year series of collaborative humanities research labs, individual projects, community research partnerships, symposia, and a major international conference to radically transform knowledge of California’s 21 colonial missions.
Support Anthropology On Giving Day 2019
February 22, 2019
Two Anthropology Department-related organizations are excited to ask for support on Giving Day, February 27, 2019.
Half-Million-Dollar Equipment Grant Awarded, Anthro Prof Says
September 12, 2018
Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Vicky Oelze announced that a large National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program grant has been awarded to fund the purchase of a $564,000 state-of-the-art mass spectrometer at UC Santa Cruz.
In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus Richard Randolph
August 9, 2018
Richard R. Randolph, professor emeritus in the Anthropology Department at UC Santa Cruz, died on July 30, 2018, at age 83. Randolph was a member the founding faculty of UCSC in 1965. In addition, he was a founding member of the campus’ first college, Cowell College, and the Anthropology Board of Studies. He served as the third Provost of Cowell in 1974-77 and chaired the Board of Studies in Anthropology from 1987-90.
Prof. Fehren-Schmitz Contributes To Article On Possibilities In Multiple Models Of America Migration
August 9, 2018
Assistant Professor Lars Fehren-Schmitz contributed an article published in Science Advances journal, asserting that current evidence allows multiple models for the peopling of the Americas. The intention behind the article, Fehren-Schmitz says, is that we shouldn't jump to conclusions to quickly every time there is new data, or promote one specific scenario.
Check Out the 2017-18 Anthropology Chronicle!
June 14, 2018
In this issue: Chair's Greeting: Once a Slug, Always a Slug; Introducing MIA, Minorities in Anthropology; Students Speak: What Excites You Most Within the Anthropology Field?; Professor Alison Galloway to Retire Professor Lisa Rofel to Retire; Arch Students Break New Ground at Castro Adobe; Peer Advisers: Collaboration is Key
Division Spotlight On Anthro Undergraduate Jaleel Plummer
June 11, 2018
The divisional spotlight falls on senior Anthropology major Jaleel Plummer, a standout undergraduate with a focus on medical anthropology. Plummer will graduate this spring and plans to attend graduate school.
Prof. Gifford-Gonzalez Releases Text "Twenty-Five Years In The Making"
June 5, 2018
Professor Diane Gifford-Gonzalez has released a textbook, An Introduction to Zooarchaeology (c. Springer International Publishing AG, 2018). According to the publisher, this work is "A comprehensive, critical introduction to vertebrate zooarchaeology."
Wisdom of "Bone Whisperer" Galloway Will Continue Through Online Course
May 8, 2018
Forensic anthropologist Alison Galloway will retire from teaching this year, but her wisdom will live on through new online course that teaches both technical skills and the things you don’t find in textbooks.
Why The Sweet Potato Matters In Polynesia: 'Nature' Magazine Sources Prof. Fehren-Schmitz
April 17, 2018
The travels of the sweet potato deepen mystery about timing of first contact between people in Americas and the South Pacific. In 'Nature' magazine, UC Santa Cruz Prof. Lars Fehren-Schmitz says a new paper shows the tubers were already in Polynesia it was first colonized, "But it can’t prove there was no contact between Polynesians and South Americans before Europeans arrived.”
Undergrad Adviser Molly Segale Receives Recognition At Conference
March 28, 2018
Department of Anthropology Undergraduate Adviser Molly Segale has been recognized by her colleagues in the UC Santa Cruz advising community for "Creativity and Innovation" at the 2018 UC Academic Advising Conference.
Prof. Mayanthi Fernando Receives Prestigious Weatherhead Fellowship
March 21, 2018
UC Santa Cruz Department of Anthropology Associate Professor Mayanthi Fernando will receive the School for Advanced Research Weatherhead resident fellowship for 2018-2019. This prestigious, nine-month residential fellowship is awarded to just two scholars per year who work in the humanities or social sciences.
Prof. Mathews Weighs In On Link Between Climate Change, Personality
March 21, 2018
A recent study found that people who grow up in places with mild weather are more agreeable and outgoing. This article explores implications in the world of climate extremes. UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor Andrew Mathews says the more important question is actually how people differ in response to the climate.
BBC Taps Lecturer Guillermo Delgado-P. for Bolivia Expertise
March 5, 2018
Dept. of Anthropology lecturer Guillermo Delgado-P. is cited in this BBC article for his anthropological knowledge of customs in Copacabana, Bolivia. He speaks on the ancient roots of the town as a holy place during Inca times, through history to current current times as the famed location of a religious rite that includes showering new cars in cold beer.
Archaeology Prof. Cameron Monroe's Project Wins Grant
February 27, 2018
Department of Anthropology Associate Professor J. Cameron Monroe's Milot Archaeological Project is being awarded one of two Cotsen Excavation Grants for ongoing research at Sans-Souci in Haiti. The grant, administered by the Archaeological Institute of America, will provide up to $25,000 in funding for the project. For years, Monroe has focused on archaeological work at Sans-Souci, a central place in the Kingdom of Haiti and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Alum's Book on Rapa Nui Now Translated into Spanish
February 13, 2018
The book by Riet Delsing (Ph.D., 2009), "Articulating Rapa Nui. Polynesian Cultural Politics in a Latin American Nation-State" (University of Hawai'i Press, 2015), based on her dissertation, has been translated into Spanish with the title, "Articulando Rapa Nui. Políticas culturales polinésicas frente al Estado chileno," by Lom Ediciones, Santiago. It will be launched on March 15, 2018.
Anthropology Field Study Results in Documentary Film
January 30, 2018
Last summer Ray Gutierrez’s participated in a Dept. of Anthropology field study in India with Prof. Annapurna Pandey. There, he filmed a documentary about hearing-impaired students facing a gut-wrenching choice between family and opportunity.
Food Study/Field Study to Launch in Summer '18
January 26, 2018
In summer 2018, Professor Lissa Caldwell will launch the first Department of Anthropology Food Study/Field Study in Perugia, Italy. Students will have the opportunity to gain ten credits for ANTH151 and ANTH161 during the monthlong program.
Castro Adobe Collaboration Noted In Parks Update
January 10, 2018
The UC Santa Cruz Archaeology Field School, which is a 5-credit Anthropology course (ANTH189) at the Castro Adobe in Watsonville. The Department of Anthropology collaborates with California State Parks, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, and Albion Environmental on this ongoing project.
Grad Student Publishes Article On Ancient Weaning Practices
December 15, 2017
Graduate student Eden Washburn has published her first paper. The paper, "Weaning and Early Childhood Diets at Two Early Period Sites: Implications for Parental Investment and Population Growth in Central California," was published in the journal California Archaeology with Jelmer Eerkens and Alexandra Greenwald. The article details the study of teeth from a 3,000 year-old archaeological site located near Stockton, CA.
Prof. Fehren-Schmitz's Paleogenomic Analysis Sheds Light on Easter Island Mystery
October 16, 2017
New paleogenomic research led by Prof. Lars Fehren-Schmitz sheds light on the habitation of Easter Island by ruling out the likelihood that inhabitants intermixed with South Americans prior to the arrival of Europeans on the island in 1722. The findings are presented in a new paper published in the Oct. 12 edition of Current Biology.
Anthropology professor Lars Fehren-Schmitz featured in Forbes
October 16, 2017
Professor Lars Fehren-Schmitz led a research team that decoded the genetic history of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.
Anthropology professor Lars Fehren-Schmitz featered in Science
October 12, 2017
Anthropologist Lars Fehren-Schmitz received significant media coverage for his paleogenomic analysis of the remains of early inhabitants of Easter Island, including this write-up in Science magazine.
Prof. Blackmore Featured in Archaeology Textbook
October 4, 2017
Prof. Chelsea Blackmore is the subject of a full-page feature in a new archaeology textbook.
'Wisdom Without a Country' Published by Prof. Moodie
July 21, 2017
Prof. Megan Moodie writes on sapiens.org about an encounter with a famous sculpture by Constantin Brâncuși. She raises questions about family, nationalism, and belonging; the role and refuge of art; and whether a country can ever recover from authoritarianism.
Prof. Don Brenneis Receives Award for Distinguished Service
July 7, 2017
Professor Don Brenneis receives the Boas Award by the American Anthropology Association for distinguished service to the discipline.
Five Anth Students Elected to Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
June 22, 2017
Five students from the Department of Anthropology are chosen for the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society in 2017.
Professor Emerita Adrienne Zihlman Quoted in The Guardian
June 19, 2017
In "The Weaker Sex? Science that Shows Women Are Stronger than Men," Professor Emerita Zihlman discusses the evolution of women and female survival.
Prof. Olga Najera-Ramirez receives lifetime achievement award for diversity contribution
June 9, 2017
Anthropology Professor Olga Najera-Ramirez was presented with the lifetime achievement award, which recognizes her extraordinary contributions to diversity and inclusion. Najera-Ramirez’s research centers on documenting and critically examining expressive culture among Mexicans in both Mexico and the U.S. She also advises the student run Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas. This group, which was honored with a diversity award in 2013, is currently celebrating its 45th year at UC Santa Cruz.
A home away from home with Los Mejicas dance troupe and Prof. Olga Najera-Ramirez
April 18, 2017
Student-run dance group provides a home away from home
Professor Melissa Caldwell's new book explores compassionate care and community in Moscow
April 5, 2017
Professor Melissa Caldwell's new book explores compassionate care and community in Moscow
Research Roundup: Winter 2017 Issue
April 04, 2017
Some of the diverse topics covered by faculty in the Social Sciences Division in Winter 2017 include predicting college success, models for sustainable development, the psychological impact of President Donald Trump, his proposed military budget, and more.
Professor Alison Galloway Featured in Mercury News
April 4, 2017
Professor Alison Galloway Featured in Mercury News
Grad student Chester Liwosz publishes a book review
November 9, 2016
Chester Liwosz, Anthropology PhD student, has published a solicited book review of "The Archaeology and Rock Art of Swordfish Cave" in the journal "California Archaeology."
Scholarship, teaching, and campus community recognized at annual division event
October 07, 2016
Professors David Kaun, Mayanthi Fernando, and Andrew Szasz recognized with division teaching and research awards
Diane Gifford-Gonzalez Quoted in NY Times
September 22, 2016
Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing Awarded the 2016 Bateson Prize
September 21, 2016
The Society for Cultural Anthropology (SCA) is proud to award the eighth annual Gregory Bateson Prize to Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing (University of California, Santa Cruz) for her book The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins (Princeton University Press).
Melissa Caldwell featured in SLICE Ann Arbor
June 8, 2016
Melissa Caldwell, Editor of Gastonomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies and Professor of Anthropology at UC Santa Cruz was interviewed in SLICE Ann Arbor,
Meet Jeffrey Omari, ABF Fellow
April 25, 2016
Anthropology graduate student Jeffrey Omari was awarded the prestigious American Bar Foundation Fellowship.
Research Roundup: Winter 2016 Issue
March 24, 2016
From biodiversity in California to power relations in Tanzania, faculty and researchers in the Division of Social Sciences published a wide range of issues and ideas in winter quarter.
Lars Fehren-Schmitz interviewed in the Guardian about studying ancient DNA
November 16, 2015
Mayanthi Fernando interviewed as Guest Expert: Islam in Global Perspective
November 6, 2015
Anthropology professor Mayanthi L. Fernando delievered the keynote at NYU Abu Dhabi's Islam in Global Perspective conference. Read their interview with her.
Interview with Melissa Caldwell: Food anthropologist on Gastronomica, smog tasting and always being equipped for the next meal
November 1, 2015
En Route, the in-flight magazine of Air Canada, published a profile and interview with anthropology professor Melissa Caldwell.
UCSC Anthropology PhD Debi Bolter Investigates Homo naledi
September 22, 2015
Anthropology Undergraduate Research Paper Published
September 1, 2015
Carne de Cañón: ¡Ahora arde, kollitas! presented at the International Book Fair, FIL in La Paz (Bolivia)
August 25, 2015
Duke University Press publishes Shiho Satsuka's (Ph.D., 2004) Nature in Translation: Japanese Tourism Encounters the Canadian Rockies
July 17, 2015
UCSC Anthropology PhDs Hired for Tenure-Track Positions
June 19, 2015
J. Brent Crosson (Ph.D., 2014) recently signed a contract as Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin at University of Texas at Austin. Bettina Stoetzer (Ph.D., 2011) recently accepted a tenure-track position in Global Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
U. Penn Press Publishes Heath Cabot's (Ph.D., 2010) On the Doorstep of Europe
January 22, 2015
On the Doorstep of Europe is an ethnographic study of the asylum system in Greece, tracing the ways asylum seekers, bureaucrats, and service providers attempt to navigate the dilemmas of governance, ethics, knowledge, and sociability that emerge through this legal process.
Anthropology professor J. Cameron Monroe launches new archaeology hub
December 5, 2014
The Archaeological Research Center (ARC) is the latest research center to launch out of the division of Social Sciences at UC Santa Cruz.
Medical anthropologist Nancy Chen talks food security and safety in new book
November 21, 2014
Professor of Anthropology Nancy Chen discusses how Chinese consumers navigate between food safety and security in an era of biotechnology.
UC Santa Cruz talk on Islamic radicalism paints complexity
November 14, 2014
UC Santa Cruz talk on Islamic radicalism paints complexity
Andrew Mathews Receives the Harold & Margaret Sprout Award for Recent Book
April 23, 2013
Matthew Wolf-Meyer's The Slumbering Masses Featured in New Yorker
April 22, 2013
Triloki Pandey wins Gandhi medal for non-resident Indians
October 10, 2012
Triloki N. Pandey, a professor of anthropology at UC Santa Cruz, has been awarded the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Medal by the NRI Welfare Society of India.
Virtual anthropology uses digital copies to increase access for students
October 03, 2012
The trouble with working with bone fragments in an anthropology lab is they're often fragile and always one of a kind. What if you could create identical copies, enough for each student?
Anthropology Ph.D. student wins Newcombe Fellowship
May 15, 2012
Adding to the awards for her innovative research into religious minorities, UC Santa Cruz anthropology Ph.D. candidate Sarah Bakker is one of 21 national winners of a coveted fellowship for scholars working on dissertations that involve religious themes.
New book explores Russian dachas and the link with nature
August 03, 2011
UC Santa Cruz anthropology professor Melissa L. Caldwell writes about dachas, the little garden cottages where city-bound Russians go to connect with nature and end up working hard.
Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas honored at 39th annual performance
June 07, 2011
Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas was presented with two awards of recognition during the troupe's 39th annual spring concert including Watsonville Mayor Daniel Dodge proclaiming June 3 "Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas Day" in Watsonville.
Alison Galloway named campus provost at UCSC
September 16, 2010
The University of California Regents today (Thursday, September 16, 2010) approved the appointment of Alison Galloway as campus provost/executive vice chancellor (CP/EVC) of UC Santa Cruz. The appointment is effective immediately.
Six UCSC students win Fulbrights
September 09, 2010
Six UC Santa Cruz students – five in anthropology, one in environmental studies – have been awarded Fulbright scholarships for a year's study and research abroad. Five doctoral degree candidates and one 2010 graduate will travel to China, the Krygyz Republic, Korea, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela to conduct their research projects.
UC Santa Cruz anthropology professor Anna Tsing wins Guggenheim Fellowship
May 03, 2010
UC Santa Cruz anthropology professor Anna Tsing has won a Guggenheim Fellowship to further her research into the commodity chain and global ecology of the matsutake mushroom.
