Law Policy and Engagement

Many of our faculty are interested in law, policy and engagement, and researchers across the sub-fields conduct collaborative research and engage in public anthropology.

Our cultural anthropologists study law, legality and policy in diverse global contexts, with research projects ranging from marital disputes in Islamic courts and comparative Islamic law in East Africa (Erin Stiles) to multi-sited work on legality, migration, deportation in Mexico and the U.S. (Debbie Boehm), to projects on citizenship, human rights and migration in Spain (Mikaela Rogozen-Soltar).

Archaeologists collaborate with American Indian communities in the West to improve practices and policies regarding tribal consultation (Sarah Cowie), engage with Berlin artists about their use of space (Carolyn White) and teach cultural resource management (Chris Morgan and Geoffrey Smith) and historic preservation (Carolyn White). The University of Nevada, Reno's historic preservation program is housed in the anthropology department.

Finally, within biological anthropology our faculty work in the realm of forensic anthropology (G. Richard Scott and Marin Pilloud). This work is applied and involves consultation with law enforcement, as well as research efforts to improve methods used as part of estimating the biological profile. Additionally, we are committed to engaging the public in forensic anthropology and actively seek out opportunities to work with public schools and the community.