Michael Chibnik
Professor
Office: 233 Macbride Hall
Phone: (319) 335-0530
michael-chibnik@uiowa.edu
- Selected Publications/Projects (PDF)
- Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Background:
Most of my work has been in the subfield of economic anthropology. I have
conducted fieldwork on household economics, agricultural decision-making,
craft production, and work organization in Belize, Peru, Mexico, and various
parts of the U.S. Other topical interests include agricultural systems,
artisans, ethnicity, development, transnationalism, research methods
(especially statistics), and the history of anthropology. My research in the 1980s focused on the economic strategies and political
struggles of rural residents of the Peruvian Amazon whose livelihood depends
on flood-recession agriculture. These farmers have developed ecologically
sustainable resource management practices that enable them to take advantage
of periodic inundations of their fields. They have, however, suffered greatly
from unpredictable crop prices and erratic state agricultural policies. Since
1994 I have been examining the flourishing trade in painted wood
carvings from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. These brightly-painted, whimisical
pieces are novel creations without longstanding cultural significance. Many
rural households have prospered by selling carvings to wholesalers and store
owners from the United States.
My current field research focuses on the conflict between “art” and commerce among high-end Oaxacan woodcarvers. I am also examining a project in which environmentally sustainable Oaxacan wood carvings are produced and marketed. I was recently the guest curator of an exhibit of Oaxacan wood carvings at The University of Iowa Museum of Art.
Courses Taught: Anthropology and Contemporary World Problems Environment and Culture Economic Anthropology Anthropological Data Analysis Research Design and Proposal Writing Latin American Economy and Society Seminar: Sociocultural Anthropology Seminar: Ecological Anthropology |
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