Einaudi welcomes SWANA Program
The Einaudi Center welcomes the Southwest Asia and North Africa Program and four new program directors this fall.
‘Sacred Ground’ exhibit receives Historic Ithaca preservation award
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.
Nepal expert comments on violent protests in Nepal
Kathryn March, professor emerita of anthropology, comments on the violent protests in Nepal.
Kidney disease and climate change in Nicaragua’s sugarcane zone
“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.
Dual-campus visit highlights A.D. White Professors-at-Large lineup
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.
2025 Nexus Scholars talk about academic growth, transformation
Ten students who participated in this summer's Nexus Scholars Program share their stories..
Mountains embodied: understanding head shaping in ancient Andes
Matthew Velasco argues that the reduction of head shape to a marker of ethnic identity has been a colonial invention.
History Center exhibit chronicles excavation at Ithaca’s ‘Freedom Church’
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.
Congrats to our Anthropology Graduates
We celebrate our most recent graduates!
Med student Grace Staes ’22 feels prepared for the work
Staes said her major in anthropology has proven to be an asset in medical school.
Outstanding faculty win 2025 teaching and advising awards
Among those being recognized for exceptional teaching and mentorship this year are faculty members Begüm Adalet, Claudia Verhoeven, and Marcelo Aguiar.
Featured Anthropology Major: Canyon Cross
"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."
'Academic life becomes much more interesting when you see how its different areas can support one another.'
Aerin Mok is majoring in psychology and anthropology.
Featured Anthropology Minor: Shuqian Lyu
"I am interested in visual anthropology and ethnography, particularly in topics such as ethics, representation, and emerging fields like sensory ethnography."
Featured Anthropology Major: Anna Rose Marion
"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."
CIAMS members receive awards from Society for American Archaeology
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.
Cornell anthropology opens Collaboratory May 14
The new Anthropology Collaboratory gathers many of the university’s anthropology collections and laboratories together in one place in Olin Library.
Featured Anthropology Major: Jacqueline Cheng
"To find oneself is, I believe, the greatest achievement anyone can make while in school."
Featured Anthropology Major: Alexander Bentley
"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."
Featured Anthropology Major: Lucy Friedman
"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."
Featured Anthropology Minor: Emma Garcia
"I found the Anthropology minor towards the second half of undergrad, and it has still greatly impacted me for the better."
Conference explores post-Covid-19 global health biopolitics
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.
In ‘Silence’ spring conference, Fellows ‘attend to what is not there’
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 –
A&S undergrad unearths miniature Hercules statue in Italy
Each summer, CIAMS helps many Cornell students experience the thrill of archeological discovery.
Fred Gleach Retires
Curator Frederic Gleach retired at the end of December.
Recent Books by Anthropology Faculty
Check out these books.
Anthropology in the News: 24/25
Please see a select list of recent articles mentioning Anthropology faculty members.
Awards and Accolades 24/25
We celebrate the successes of our faculty and graduate students.
Project Team for “Reconceptualizing Haudenosaunee Studies” Receives New Frontier Grant
Anthropology Professor Kurt Jordan is part of the project team that received a 2024 New Frontier Grant.
Cornell Center for Social Sciences names 2025-26 Faculty Fellows
12 faculty members from seven colleges have been named 2025-26 Faculty Fellows with the Cornell Center for Social Sciences.
Experts call for 'accountability' before restoring Syria heritage sites
Cornell experts comment on the restoration of Syria's damaged and looted historical sites.
Documenting Uyghur history for the sake of the future
Zilala Mamat '26 has been traveling abroad to document the stories of Uyghur people.
Bohannon, Manne event focuses on female body image, evolution
"Is Fat Female? Evolution, Feminism, and Getting the Story Right” takes place in person March 5; a virtual conversation between the two will be livestreamed March 6.
Your January 2025 reads
This month’s featured titles – most by A&S authors – include a work of nonfiction about honeybees, a kids’ picture book, and a novel set in rural Nova Scotia.
Alison Rittershaus Joins the Department of Anthropology
Alison Rittershaus recently joined the Department of Anthropology as Lecturer and Curator of the Anthropology Collections.
Vilma Santiago-Irizarry Retires
Professor Vilma Santiago-Irizarry retires after thirty years.
Ahmann's Book Recognized by Anthropology and Environment Society
Chloe Ahmann's book, Futures After Progress: Hope and Doubt in Late Industrial Baltimore, receives honorable mention for the Julian Steward Book Award.
Manning honored for contributions to archaeology
Sturt Manning, received the P. E. MacAllister Field Archaeology Award at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) in Boston in November.
Conference considers medicine from historical standpoint
The Nov. 2 conference will focus on an interdisciplinary approach.
Archaeology conference focuses on cultural erasure
“Unearthing Unseeing: Archaeology, Heritage, and Forensics in the Shadow of State Violence” will highlight new approaches to cultural remains caught up in contemporary conflicts and past trauma.
Short films from Rural Humanities course selected for festivals
Three short documentaries produced in a Rural Humanities Seminar, taught by PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn, are headed to film festivals this fall.
Engaged faculty network grows with 28 new fellows
Fellows will spend the year developing a community-engaged course, project or publication, while also joining a network of scholars committed to advancing the university’s public engagement mission.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author from Jerusalem to speak Oct. 10
Nathan Thrall will talk about his most recent book, “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.”
Celebration kicks off McGraw Hall project
More than 75 people, including university leaders, donors and members of the College of Arts & Sciences Advisory Council, celebrated the start of the $110 million McGraw Hall renovation project Sept. 19 with a “groundbreaking” ceremony.
Modeling an ancient house and garden in 3D
Cornell researchers have received a $150,000 NEH Digital Humanities Advanced Grant to create a 3D virtual modeling project based on the Casa della Regina Carolina, a large Pompeian house.
Cornell expert reflects on Sri Lanka election
Scholar Daniel Bass comments on this week's presidential election in Sri Lanka, the first since a 2022 economic meltdown that forced the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Language ‘Sustainability through Collaboration’ Conference at Cornell
Cornell, the only institution offering regular multilevel instruction in all six of the major Southeast Asian languages – Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Filipino (Tagalog), Thai and Vietnamese – will host a conference on the teaching of these languages on Sept. 19-21.
AAA Announces the A. Thomas Kirsch Award for Southeast Asia Studies
The American Anthropological Association announced an annual award established in memory of A. Thomas Kirsch, a Professor of Anthropology and Asian Studies at Cornell
From portfolios to pizza, fall A&S career events explore diverse fields
"Cornell alumni are generous with their time and efforts to assist students, to answer questions from students, or connect them to people and places."
New A&S dean relishes ‘life in a university’
Peter John Loewen says he's excited to support faculty in their research, meet students and showcase the value of a liberal arts education.