Education
Ph.D.,
Anthropology, University of California, Davis,
California
M.A., Anthropology, University of California, Davis,
California
B.A., Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise,
Idaho
Biography
Like
many others in this profession, I am an accidental
anthropologist. I began studying anthropology at
Boise State in the fall of 1981. Arriving to
register for fall classes at the old gym the summer
prior, I found the line for anthropology very short!
Needing to get to work, I chose that line, and in a
few minutes I was enrolled in ANTH 101 and ANTH 102.
That was nearly three decades ago and not a month
has since passed that I have not been engaged in the
study of anthropology.
Since 1995 I have been teaching, or rather, being
inspired by, great students at Boise State. I
believe the count of distinct courses offered is now
roughly 10, currently focusing on ANTH 200 Kinship,
ANTH 307 Indians of North America, and ANTH 102
Cultural Anthropology. When I am not teaching I
cobble a living together as an applied
anthropologist and bookseller.
To the extent that I can claim a core focus, my
current interest is on the evolution of labor in the
human species, encompassing the capacity for work
and exploitative social relations. Though they
certainly have emergent aspects, I am entirely
skeptical that these uniquely human characteristics
emerged only with capitalism, and doubtful that they
arise only with agriculture and the state. I am also
increasingly skeptical of the sufficiency of social
theory and political economy to address these
topics. The relation of kinship to exploitation
within an evolutionary perspective is a major
current interest.
I am theoretically eclectic, and geographically
scattered, but North America, Europe, Africa, and
southeast Asia are recurrent centering points. I
have a broad and rather unruly interest in all
corners of anthropology: biological, linguistic,
cultural and archaeological. I tend to organize my
understanding historically, and the social and
intellectual history of anthropology is a topic I
have used to lay anchor for nearly three decades.
Professional
Interests
Theoretical Interests -- I have a broad interest in cultural
and social theory and the history of anthropology, split between studies in
political economy and critical theory on the one hand, and symbolic and
interpretive approaches on the other. My primary focus is on critical
cultural hermeneutics, the relation of meaning and value formation, and the
relation of language, practice, and embodiment. For my doctoral
candidacy I was examined on contemporary cultural theory.
Topical Interests -- My topical interests center on
anthropological political economy; political ecology; language and culture
(the ethnography of speaking); the anthropology of work and labor; the
anthropology of actually existing capitalism and socialism; systems of
difference: race, gender, sexuality, and class; and economic
anthropology. for my doctoral candidacy I was examined on
anthropological political economy.
Geographic Areas of Interest -- My primary area of
interest is North America, focusing on the American West, western Canada, and
northern Mexico. I also have peripheral interests in the anthropology of
Europe (my doctoral candidacy exams were on the anthropology of Europe) and
the anthropology of Africa.
Courses
Taught:
