ResearchToggle Section Navigation

You are here

Home / Research

Research Specialties

Anthropology involves the comprehensive study of human experience. The most basic questions anthropologists ask are “How are humans the same, and how are they different in all times and in all places on earth?” but also “What distinguishes the human from other species and how do different humans understand that difference?” Anthropologists explore these questions by examining people through biological, archaeological, linguistic, and social lenses. Our faculty specialize in specific world regions and in specific fields of study.

Research by Geographic Regions

Africa: East, Central

Kieran McNulty
Professor
kmcnulty@umn.edu

Michael Wilson
Associate Professor
wilso198@umn.edu

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Asia: East, South, Southeast

Gloria Goodwin Raheja
Professor
raheja@umn.edu

Hoon Song
Associate Professor
songx080@umn.edu

Caribbean

Maria Nieves-Colón
Assistant Professor
mnievesc@umn.edu

Erin Durban
Assistant Professor
edurbana@umn.edu

Eurasia

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Europe

Stuart McLean
Professor
mclea070@umn.edu

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Hoon Song
Associate Professor
songx080@umn.edu

Karen-Sue Taussig
Associate Professor
taussig@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Peter Wells
Professor
wells001@umn.edu

Latin America

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Maria Nieves-Colón
Assistant Professor
mnievesc@umn.edu

Melanesia

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

Middle East

Serra Hakyemez
Assistant Professor
hakyemez@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Aisha Ghani
Assistant Professor
aghani@umn.edu

North America, United States

Katherine Hayes
Associate Professor
kathayes@umn.edu

Gloria Goodwin Raheja
Professor
raheja@umn.edu

Karen Ho
Associate Professor
karenho@umn.edu

Hoon Song
Associate Professor
songx080@umn.edu

Karen-Sue Taussig
Associate Professor
taussig@umn.edu

David Valentine
Associate Professor
valen076@umn.edu

Aisha Ghani
Assistant Professor
aghani@umn.edu

Erin Durban
Assistant Professor
edurbana@umn.edu

Research Specialities by Discipline

Archaeology

Archaeological Theory

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Ceramic Analysis

Katherine Hayes
Associate Professor
kathayes@umn.edu

European Archaeology

Katherine Hayes
Associate Professor
kathayes@umn.edu

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Peter Wells
Professor
wells001@umn.edu

Experimental Archaeology

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Historical Archaeology

Katherine Hayes
Associate Professor
kathayes@umn.edu

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Landscape and Environmental Archaeology

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Latin American Archaeology

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Material Culture Studies

Katherine Hayes
Associate Professor
kathayes@umn.edu

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Peter Wells
Professor
wells001@umn.edu

Microarchaeology

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Neanderthal Behavior

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Paleolithic Archaeology

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Stone Tool Analysis

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Taphonomy

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Visual Representation & Identity

Peter Wells
Professor
wells001@umn.edu

Zooarchaeology

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Biological/Evolutionary Anthropology

Ancient DNA

Maria Nieves-Colón
Assistant Professor
mnievesc@umn.edu

Cranial Evolution & Ontogeny

Kieran McNulty
Professor
kmcnulty@umn.edu

Geometric Morphometrics

Kieran McNulty
Professor
kmcnulty@umn.edu

Human Evolution

Kieran McNulty
Professor
kmcnulty@umn.edu

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu

Michael Wilson
Associate Professor
wilso198@umn.edu

Molecular Anthropology

Maria Nieves-Colón
Assistant Professor
mnievesc@umn.edu

Out of Africa Studies

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Primate Behavior & Ecology

Michael Wilson
Associate Professor
wilso198@umn.edu

Primate Evolution

Kieran McNulty
Professor
kmcnulty@umn.edu

Warfare Evolution

Michael Wilson
Associate Professor
wilso198@umn.edu

Sociocultural/Linguistic

Animality/Animal Studies

Hoon Song
Associate Professor
songx080@umn.edu

Biopolitics, Science & Technology Studies

Hoon Song
Associate Professor
songx080@umn.edu

Karen-Sue Taussig
Associate Professor
taussig@umn.edu

Erin Durban
Assistant Professor
edurbana@umn.edu

Ecologies

Erin Durban
Assistant Professor
edurbana@umn.edu

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

Economy, Capitalism, Business, Finances & Class

Karen Ho
Associate Professor
karenho@umn.edu

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

Erin Durban
Assistant Professor
edurbana@umn.edu

Empire, Colonialism & Postcolonial Studies

Erin Durban
Assistant Professor
edurbana@umn.edu

Serra Hakyemez
Assistant Professor
hakyemez@umn.edu

Katherine Hayes
Associate Professor
kathayes@umn.edu

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Gloria Goodwin Raheja
Professor
raheja@umn.edu

Aisha Ghani
Assistant Professor
aghani@umn.edu

Maria Nieves-Colón
Assistant Professor
mnievesc@umn.edu

Gender, Sexuality & LGBTQ History

Erin Durban
Assistant Professor
edurbana@umn.edu

Karen Ho
Associate Professor
karenho@umn.edu

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

Gloria Goodwin Raheja
Professor
raheja@umn.edu

David Valentine
Associate Professor
valen076@umn.edu

Human Space Exploration

David Valentine
Associate Professor
valen076@umn.edu

Landscape, History & Memory

Serra Hakyemez
Assistant Professor
hakyemez@umn.edu

Katherine Hayes
Associate Professor
kathayes@umn.edu

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Stuart McLean
Professor
mclea070@umn.edu

Gloria Goodwin Raheja
Professor
raheja@umn.edu

Linguistic

David Valentine
Associate Professor
valen076@umn.edu

Media & Representation

Serra Hakyemez
Assistant Professor
hakyemez@umn.edu

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

Medical Anthropology

Karen-Sue Taussig
Associate Professor
taussig@umn.edu

Modernity & the Future

Stuart McLean
Professor
mclea070@umn.edu

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

David Valentine
Associate Professor
valen076@umn.edu

Poetry, Music, Theatre & Performance

Stuart McLean
Professor
mclea070@umn.edu

Gloria Goodwin Raheja
Professor
raheja@umn.edu

Power Politics, Citizenship & National Identity

Serra Hakyemez
Assistant Professor
hakyemez@umn.edu

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Hoon Song
Associate Professor
songx080@umn.edu

Aisha Ghani
Assistant Professor
aghani@umn.edu

Race, Ethnicity, Migration & Diasporas

Katherine Hayes
Associate Professor
kathayes@umn.edu

Karen Ho
Associate Professor
karenho@umn.edu

Aisha Ghani
Assistant Professor
aghani@umn.edu

Maria Nieves-Colón
Assistant Professor
mnievesc@umn.edu

Religion & Philosophy

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

Hoon Song
Associate Professor
songx080@umn.edu

Aisha Ghani
Assistant Professor
aghani@umn.edu

Social Justice & Human Rights

Erin Durban
Assistant Professor
edurbana@umn.edu

Aisha Ghani
Assistant Professor
aghani@umn.edu

Serra Hakyemez
Assistant Professor
hakyemez@umn.edu

David Valentine
Associate Professor
valen076@umn.edu

Social Theory

Serra Hakyemez
Assistant Professor
hakyemez@umn.edu

Steve Kosiba
Associate Professor
skosiba@umn.edu

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

Stuart McLean
Professor
mclea070@umn.edu

Symbolic Anthropology

David Lipset
Professor
lipse001@umn.edu

Hoon Song
Associate Professor
songx080@umn.edu

Paleoanthropology

Paleoanthropology

Kieran McNulty
Professor
kmcnulty@umn.edu

Gilliane Monnier
Associate Professor
monni003@umn.edu

Martha Tappen
Associate Professor
tappe004@umn.edu

Gilbert Tostevin
Associate Professor
toste003@umn.edu