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Nia Whitmal, a doctoral candidate in anthropology in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, studies wealth accumulation strategies of Harlem’s Black property-owners and real estate agents. In an interview, Whitmal says a Zhu Family Graduate Fellowship benefits her work.
Jonathan Zhu, J.D. ’92, whose A.D. White Fellowship allowed him to attend Cornell, has established the Zhu Family Graduate Fellowships supporting humanities doctoral students at Cornell University. Each of the three 2025 fellows – who are pursuing art history, anthropology, and science and technology studies, appreciates that the fellowship’s financial support paired with release from teaching responsibilities allows them the flexibility to pursue research questions as they arise.
Cornell admits the Class of 2030 emphasizing real-world impact, enrolling 5,776 students from 102 countries. At Cornell University, the diverse cohort reflects the land-grant mission and applied learning goals across multiple colleges.
“The law is consistent with a dramatic recent policy shift, to suppress the ethnic diversity formally recognized since 1949," says one Cornell expert. "The next step may be the formal abolishment of ‘ethnic minorities.’"
Check out these books by Anthropology faculty members.
Congrats to our faculty and students on these awards and accomplishments!
Recent articles featuring Anthropology faculty and students
The Cornell Center for Social Sciences has selected 10 faculty members, including several from A&S, as 2026–27 Faculty Fellows, providing course release and funding to support interdisciplinary social science research with real-world impact.
Daniel Gold, a professor of Asian studies emeritus in the College of Arts and Sciences, died on Feb. 16 in Ithaca. He was 78.
The 12 early-career scholars will pursue research in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
The next time you visit Ithaca, check out exhibits on Chimes history, astronomical instruments, historical keyboards and so much more
This month’s featured titles include poetry, an anthropologist’s memoir, and a chronicle of the Nazi’s massive looting of European artworks.
The book shows how patterns of psycho-social stress combined with modernity’s pressures can influence psychiatric practice.
Dusti Cheyenne Bridges, Ph.D. ’25, was selected for the Council of Graduate Schools/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award in the humanities and fine arts.
Yvette's research explores how college students make sense of their early and ongoing literacy experiences.
Stacey Langwick, associate professor of anthropology in the College of Arts & Sciences, will speak on "Healing in a Toxic World: Reimagining the Times and Spaces of the Therapeutic."
Emma conducted ethnographic research in Milan to understand how perceptions of immigration shape the city’s social and spatial life.
This month’s featured titles include short stories, a fantasy book for tweens, and a scholarly look at Carmen adaptations – all by Arts & Sciences alumni and faculty.
The Einaudi Center welcomes the Southwest Asia and North Africa Program and four new program directors this fall.
Open now through Dec. 31, the exhibit highlights findings from a four-year archaeological excavation of Ithaca’s St. James A.M.E. Zion Church conducted by Cornell faculty, students and Ithaca school children from 2021–2024.
Kathryn March, professor emerita of anthropology, comments on the violent protests in Nepal.
“What is happening to the kidneys of sugarcane workers is not a result of climate change. It is climate change": Anthropologist Alex Nading documents how environmental justice activists are addressing the epidemic.
Best-selling writer and technology blogger Cory Doctorow will make the A.D. White Professor-at-Large program’s second dual-campus visit, ending his week at Cornell Tech in New York City. Four other professors will visit Cornell this fall.
Ten students who participated in this summer's Nexus Scholars Program share their stories..
Matthew Velasco argues that the reduction of head shape to a marker of ethnic identity has been a colonial invention.
The exhibit on Ithaca’s St. James A.M.E. Zion Church will open on Juneteenth with a community event scheduled for 4 p.m.
We celebrate our most recent graduates!
Staes said her major in anthropology has proven to be an asset in medical school.
Among those being recognized for exceptional teaching and mentorship this year are faculty members Begüm Adalet, Claudia Verhoeven, and Marcelo Aguiar.
"Anthropology is remarkably well positioned to offer us insight and solutions within some of the most complex issues of today, and the way that it is applied is entirely up to us."
Aerin Mok is majoring in psychology and anthropology.
"I am interested in visual anthropology and ethnography, particularly in topics such as ethics, representation, and emerging fields like sensory ethnography."
"Studying topics in environmental anthropology has allowed me to investigate the cultural, political, and social dimensions of human interactions with the environment across temporal and spatial scales."
Matthew Velasco, assistant professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Anna Whittemore, doctoral candidate in anthropology, received awards from the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) at the SAA annual meeting on April 25.
The new Anthropology Collaboratory gathers many of the university’s anthropology collections and laboratories together in one place in Olin Library.
"To find oneself is, I believe, the greatest achievement anyone can make while in school."
"Since I’m particularly interested in bioarchaeology and archaeological science, studying anthropology has allowed me to engage with questions of health, identity, and power from an interdisciplinary perspective."
"I attribute anthropology’s interdisciplinary nature, combined with the unique course content taught by the department's knowledgeable faculty, to helping me develop my academic passion."
"I found the Anthropology minor towards the second half of undergrad, and it has still greatly impacted me for the better."
A conference May 5-7, “The Biopolitics of Global Health After Covid-19,” will combine biopolitical and anthropological inquiry to spark a cross-disciplinary dialogue about (post-) pandemic discourses and practices of global health.
On April 25, seven Society for the Humanities’ Fellows will present their projects in progress during the annual Spring Fellows’ conference, highlighting the various ways that the theme of silence has been explored –
Each summer, CIAMS helps many Cornell students experience the thrill of archeological discovery.
Curator Frederic Gleach retired at the end of December.
Check out these books.
Please see a select list of recent articles mentioning Anthropology faculty members.
We celebrate the successes of our faculty and graduate students.
Anthropology Professor Kurt Jordan is part of the project team that received a 2024 New Frontier Grant.
12 faculty members from seven colleges have been named 2025-26 Faculty Fellows with the Cornell Center for Social Sciences.
Cornell experts comment on the restoration of Syria's damaged and looted historical sites.
Zilala Mamat '26 has been traveling abroad to document the stories of Uyghur people.