My research focuses on the Indonesian middle class, questions of femininity, consumption and religious propriety. Broadly, my research analyzes the cultural politics of appearance and aesthetics. I work in two major cities on Java, Yogyakarta and Jakarta. In Yogyakarta, I work in two middle-class neighborhoods, one older and one newer, in which I have come to know many of the families in my research on domesticity. I have also studied the growing phenomenon of women's self-improvement seminars, and issues of dress and manners. More recently, I have turned to questions of Islamic dress as Indonesia, the largest majority-Muslim country in the world, has become a vibrant site for a global Islamic fashion industry. This growth has raised questions within Indonesia about the relationship between religion and wealth, a topic I theorize through the lens of feminist ethnography. I find that anxieties about illegitimate wealth, corruption and scandal are gendered as forms of style.
ANTH 1155 - Exploring Global Cultural Diversity
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020
Examines the geography, kinship, politics and religious values of various cultures globally in historical and contemporary context through an anthropological perspective. Check with department for semester offerings. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours.
ANTH 4525 - Global Islams
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019
Examines the historical formation of Islam in Indonesia and Southeast Asia so as to situate contemporary Islamic practices in a global context. Recommended prerequisite: ANTH 2100.
ANTH 5785 - Advanced Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018
Details the history of theory and practice in contemporary cultural anthropology, considering the development of major theoretical schools of thought and the integration of general social theory within anthropology. Required of masters students in cultural anthropology.
