Anthropology Department

Cultural Anthropology

We study the role of society and culture in the human experience. Our signature method is ethnographic participant observation. We seek to share the lives of the communities where we study and convey their experiences to our students, colleagues, and the public. Our goal is to understand the spectrum of cultural differences.

We use that understanding to fight against ethnocentrism, racial prejudice, and other forms of discrimination. Faculty areas of expertise include ecology, medicine, religion, ethnicity, migration, planning, heritage, and tourism.

We have conducted research on every inhabited continent. We specialize in the design of museum exhibits, the production of documentary films, and engaged scholarship to benefit the communities where we work.

Labs and Facilities

Advanced Laboratory of Visual Anthropology (ALVA)(opens in new window)
Ethnography Laboratory

Faculty, Lecturers, and Staff

Ariane Bélanger-Vincent, PhD
Email: abelanger-vincent@csuchico.edu
Phone: 530-898-4038

Brian Brazeal, Ph.D., Director of the Advanced Laboratory of Visual Anthropology (ALVA)
Email: bcbrazeal@csuchico.edu
Phone: 530-898-4094

Jesse Dizard, Ph.D.
Email: jdizard@csuchico.edu
Phone: 530-898-5583

David Eaton, Ph.D., MPH
Email: daeaton@csuchico.edu
Phone: 530-898-4185

William Nitzky, Ph.D., Co-director of the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology
Email: wnitzky@csuchico.edu
Phone: 530-898-4953

Michael Pilakowski, MA
Email: mpilakowski@csuchico.edu

Beth Shook, Ph.D.
Email: bashook@csuchico.edu
Phone: 530-898-5711

Lisa Westwood, MA
Email: lwestwood@csuchico.edu

Melody Yeager, MA
Email: mryeager@csuchico.edu
Phone: 530-898-3505