Paul Stoller, Ph.D.
Professor of Anthropology
Paul Stoller has been conducting anthropological research for 30 years. His early work concerned the religion of the Songhay people who live in the Republics of Niger and Mali in West Africa. In that work, he focused primarily on magic, sorcery and spirit possession practices. Since 1992, Stoller has pursued studies of West African immigrants in New York City. Those studies have concerned such topics as the cultural dynamics of informal market economies and the politics of immigration. The results of this ongoing research has led Stoller to the study of the anthropology of religion, visual anthropology, the anthropology of senses and economic anthropology. Stoller's work has resulted in the publication of 11 books, including ethnographies, biographies, memoirs as well as two novels. An essay, "Blogging Bliss," will appear in the December 2013 edition of Anthropology Now. In 2014, Dr. Stoller has a forthcoming book entitled: Yaya's Quest: The Quest for Wellbeing in the World. His work is widely read and recognized. In 1994 he was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2002, the American Anthropological Association named him the recipient of the Robert B Textor Award for Excellence in Anthropology. On April 24, 2013, Dr. Stoller was awarded the Anders Retzius Gold Medal in Anthropology (given once every three years by the King of Sweden. He lectures frequently both in the United States and Europe and has appeared on various NPR programs as well as on the National Geographic Television Network.
Courses Offered
- Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- Magic Witchcraft and Religion
- The History of Ethnological Theory
- The Culture of Cities
- Economic Anthropology
- The Culture and Peoples of Africa
- Visual Anthropology