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Orin Starn

Professor of Cultural Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Box 90091, Durham, NC 27708-0091
205 Friedl, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Orin Starn is Professor of Cultural Anthropology and History. His interests include technology and internet studies; social movements and indigenous politics, sports and society;cultural theory and the history of anthropology; Latin America; Latinx experience; Europe; Native America.  See www.orinstarn.com for more information.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Cultural Anthropology · 2005 - Present Cultural Anthropology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of History · 2010 - Present History, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2014 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published April 28, 2022
Black in Blue: Race and Sports at Duke and Beyond
Published May 3, 2019
Orin Starn on the New Normal in Latin America: Out With Dictators, In With Smart Phones
Published April 15, 2019
Why Tiger Woods' Masters Triumph Brought So Many to Tears

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Recent Publications


Lane C

Journal Article Anthropology and Humanism · December 1, 2023 This poem for the “hundreds” in honor of Kathleen Stewart is about anthropology, life and death, and doing fieldwork in an Amazon.com warehouse. ... Full text Cite

Beyond the Gonzalo Mystique: Challenges to Abimael Guzmn's Leadership inside Peru's Shining Path, 1982-1992

Journal Article Latin American Research Review · January 1, 2023 From the moment it launched its armed insurgency in 1980 until the death of its former leader in September 2021, Peru's Shining Path mesmerized observers. The Maoist group had a well-established reputation as a personality cult whose members were fanatical ... Full text Cite

Anthropology and the misery of writing

Journal Article American Anthropologist · March 1, 2022 We have had much excited talk about experimental ethnography and new genres of writing. Much of it acknowledges the difficulties of putting words to page. But few of the many reflections and meditations about ethnography really delve into the self-destroyi ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Unionizing Amazon: The Difficulties of Labor Organizing in the 21st Century Economy

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2024 - 2025

ACLS Collaborative Research Fellowship

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by American Council of Learned Societies · 2016 - 2017

Wartime Stories in the Andes

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation · 1995 - 1995

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Education, Training & Certifications


Stanford University · 1989 Ph.D.
The University of Chicago · 1982 B.A.