Humanities & Society

Bridget Bey, a graduate student in archaeology in Arts & Sciences, won a $20,000 grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research to study late pre-Hispanic Andean culture.

Camelina, an oilseed plant grown in modern-day Ukraine, may have been a more important and widespread crop than previously thought, according to collaborators from anthropology and biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Their findings could inform breeding programs to improve this crop for biofuels applications.

David Strait and Yeganeh Sekhavati, both in Arts & Sciences, won a $26,037 grant from the National Science Foundation to support doctoral dissertation research.

The 2020 book “Bolivia in the Age of Gas” explores how the struggle over natural gas has reshaped Bolivia. The work by Bret Gustafson, in Arts & Sciences, won the 2022 Bryce Wood Book Award from the Latin American Studies Association.

As a world-class anthropologist who has made it her life’s work to study primate sociality, Crickette Sanz knows firsthand how important it is to forge strong social connections to help her achieve work/life balance.

Precision agriculture is beginning to shape the strategies and choices of farmers around the world, according to a new analysis by Glenn Stone, professor of anthropology and of environmental studies in Arts & Sciences.

James Wertsch, an expert on Russia and international affairs, analyzes Vladimir Putin’s motivation in attacking Ukraine. He says that Putin sees Russia’s mission as aiming to triumph over democracy and encourage the rise of Christian fascism everywhere.

With decades of combined experience in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Washington University social anthropologists Michael Frachetti and James V. Wertsch share their perspectives on the future of these countries following unrest.

Michael Frachetti, professor of archaeology in Arts & Sciences, participated in a global initiative that set best practices for ethically sampling human remains and carrying out scientific analysis. He says this type of collaboration across regional and disciplinary boundaries likely will shape the future of scholarly work.

Glenn Davis Stone, professor of sociocultural anthropology and of environmental studies in Arts & Sciences, is part of an international team of researchers funded by the European Union to study CRISPR in agriculture and food production. Stone is co-leader of the perceptions part of the study.