Student Profiles
Nir Aish
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: Ed.M. Technology, Innovation and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Research Interests: Remote Acculturation; Digital Media; Cultural Identities; Global Digital Exchange; Cosmopolitanism; Globalization; Critical Theory
Geographical Interests: West Africa (Cameroon)
Selected Publications, Presentations, Works-in-Progress:
Aish, N., (2020, March). Extended Reality for Teaching Global Education As a Means of Promoting Global Equality. In 2020 International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED) (pp. 5292-5302). IATED.
Aish, N., Asare, P., & Miskioğlu, E. E. (2018, March). People like me: Providing relatable and realistic role models for underrepresented minorities in STEM to increase their motivation and likelihood of success. In 2018 IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC) (pp. 83-89). IEEE.
Aish, N., Asare, P., & Miskioğlu, E. E. (2017, October). People like me increasing likelihood of success for underrepresented minorities in STEM by providing realistic and relatable role models. In 2017 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) (pp. 1-4). IEEE.
Awards/Grants:
Best Paper Award at IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference 2018
Emily Bailey
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: MSc in Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh
Research Interests: Autism, Disability, Communication, Expertise, Care Work
Geographical Interests: France, Europe
Awards/Grants:
Teachers College Doctoral Fellowship, 2021-2024
Robert Lemelson Fellowship, 2023
Teachers College Dean’s Grant for Student Research
Comitas Research Grant, Summer 2022 & 2023
Sara O. Ahmed
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: Ed.M. International Educational Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Research Interests: Multi-cultural Identities, Multilingualism, Global Citizenship Education, Culturally Sensitive Instruction, Technology in Education, Universal Design for Learning
Geographical Interests: The Middle East, North Africa
Selected Publications:
Ahmed, Sara O. (2019) “Between Local and Global Citizenship in Egypt”. The Struggle for Citizenship Education in Egypt – (Re)Imagining Subjects and Citizens. Routledge.
Alicia Banks
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: Master’s in International Education, George Mason University (Undergraduate BA from William and Mary in Anthropology and Hispanic Studies)
Research Interests: Afro-Brazilian history and culture, culturally responsive education, bilingual and multilingual education, race/identity/intersectionality in secondary schools, the African Diaspora and its impact on and relationship with the Western Hemisphere
Geographical Interests: North, Central, and South America, West Africa, the Caribbean
Awards/Grants:
Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Fellow, 2019-2020
Fernanda Dias
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: M.A. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, M.Ed. Federal University of Minas Gerais – Brazil, B.A. Federal University of Minas Gerais – Brazil.
Research Interests: Race/Ethnicity;
Geographical Interests: Brazil and the United States
Selected Publications, Presentations, Works-in-Progress:
Dias, F. V. 2019. A pedagogia crítica nos Estados Unidos: possibilidades para pensar a prática educativa crítica e popular (Critical pedagogy in the United States: possibilities for considering critical and popular educational practice). In Peres, Selma Martines and Alves, Maria Zenaide (eds.). Educação Popular e Letramentos. 1. ed. Jundiaí, SP: Paco, p. 19-42. Print (book) and E-book.
Speaker in the International Research Seminar on ‘Situated Learning - Revisited’: Conflictual Practices in the Everyday Life of Children and Young adults on the margins, 2017. Aarhus University, Danish School of Education. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Speaker in the EMIRGE – Empowering Massachusetts Innovation and Research in Graduate Education Conference 2016: “Innovation, Impact, and Inclusion”, 2016. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth – MA, United States.
Dias, F. V., & Dayrell, J. T. (2012). “Sem Querer Você Mostra Seu Preconceito!”: As Sutilezas das Relações Raciais e suas Repercussões no Cotidiano Escolar de Jovens Estudantes do Ensino Médio. In C. L. Eiterer, & R. C. Campos, Sujeitos sociais, processos educativos e enfrentamento da exclusão (pp. 57-76). Belo Horizonte: Mazza Edições.
Dias, F. V., & Dayrell, J. T. (2011). A indisciplina na ótica dos jovens: algumas reflexões sobre as relações sociais no cotidiano escolar. In V. L. Capellini, & M. C. Perez, Formação Docente e universalização do ensino: proposições para o desenvolvimento humano (pp. 417-424). São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica Editora.
Dias, F. V., Carmo, H. C., Oliveira, H., Cruz, N., Gonzaga, Y., & Silva, J. (2011). Sujeitos de mudanças e mudanças de sujeitos: as especificidades do público da Educação de Jovens e Adultos. In L. Soares, Educação de jovens e adultos: O que revelam as pesquisas (pp. 49-82). Belo Horizonte: Autêntica Editora.
Dias, F. V., Dayrell, J. T. (first author), Carmo, H. C., & Nonato, B. F. (2009). Juventude e Escola. In M. P. Sposito, O Estado da Arte sobre juventude na pós-graduação brasileira: Educação, Ciências Sociais e Serviço Social (1999-2006) (pp. 57-126). Belo Horizonte: Argumentum Editora.
Awards/Grants:
Hewlett Foundation Grant, Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME) and African Diaspora Consortium (ADC), 2021
Graduate Support Award, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 2016-2017
CNPq Graduate Fellowship, Ministry of Science and Technology of Brazil 2010-2011
CAPES Graduate Scholarship, Ministry of Education of Brazil 2009
Afaf A. Khoshman
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: M.A. in translation, University of Jordan, 2010; M.A. in Arab Studies and Development, Georgetown university, 2016 and M.A. in education and anthropology, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2020.
Research Interests: My overarching research agenda involves the following topics: family and education, literacy practices and transnational movements with a focus on immigrant women’s trajectories, and the social and political inclusion of Arabs and Muslims in New York City. I also interested in teacher education programs in the Middle East, teachers as practitioner researchers and youth participatory action research.
Geographical Interests: Middle East, Arab communities in the U.S.
Selected Publications, Presentations, Works-in-Progress:
Publications:
- Adely, Fida, Hadad, Angela and Al- Khoshman, Afaf A., and Al-Husban, Abdel Hakim. (2019). “Getting In and Getting Through: Navigating Higher Education in Jordan “. Comparative Education Review, https://doi.org/10.1086/701127
- Al-Khoshman, Afaf. (2019) Jordanian Female Teacher Activism in the Most Recent Teachers Strike. 7iber platform. https://www.7iber.com/society/jordanian-female-teacher-activism-in-the-most-recent-teachers-strike/
- Khoshman, Afaf. (2018) How Teachers Can Use Anthropology in Classrooms. Al-Fanar Media. https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2018/08/how-teachers-can-use-anthropology-in-classrooms/
- Khoshman, Afaf. (2018) Privacy Protection as a Core Human Rights Issue for Women in Jordan. Sayaran- WE4L Knowledge and Learning Platform. https://womeninleadership.hivos.org/sayaran/privacy-protection-as- a-core-human-rights-issue-for-women-in-jordan/
Work in progress: Khamis-Dakwar, Reem. Al-Khoshman, Afaf, Iman Salam, Ryan Priefer, Angela Murphy, 2020. Perceptions and lived experiences of Arab-American minority parent participants in LENA Start and the incorporation of language input feedback devices
Presentations:
- Towards a Framework for Anthropology-based Teacher Education Programs in the Arab World. The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies. London, King’s College, June 27th, 2018.
- “Do we have a crisis?” Jordanian mothers grapple with the question of ethics and role of education”. The Third Conference on Anthropology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. October 27th, 2018.
- Envisioning Anthropology-Based Teacher Education in the Arab World: Possibilities and Limitations”. Teachers as Agents of Change: Pedagogy, Practice and Educational Reform Workshop. Georgetown University, Washington D.C. June 11th, 2019.
- Agency and Gender in Global Educational Contexts. Social and Gendered Change in A Jordanian Town. The American Anthropological Annual Meeting, Vancouver November 23rd, 2019.
- Socialization and Societal Change-Families Negotiating Changing Education Environment-Al-Rawda Jordan. Middle East Studies Association 53rd Annual Meeting, November 14-17th, New Orleans, 2019.
Awards/Grants:
- Teacher’s College at Columbia University TESOL program scholarship (2007).
- Kuwait America Foundation’s Scholarship for Georgetown University graduate students (2014-2016).
- Columbia University, Teachers College international student and general scholarships (2017, 2018 and 2019)
- Zeina Jardaneh and Middle East Institute at Columbia University Summer fellowship (Summer 2018)
- Ruth Lubic Scholarship for Students in education and anthropology (Fall 2018)
Lizz Melville
Ph.D. Applied Anthropology
Previous Graduate Education: M.S.Ed. in Special Education, Hunter College
Research Interests: Memory, heritage, and cultural patrimony; Race, ethnicity, immigration, and nationality; settler colonialism; political anthropology; Gender, bodies, and space in sports; Anthropology of sports.
Geographical Interests: Latin America, Brazil
Awards/Grants:
Teachers College Doctoral Fellowship, 2020-2023
Comitas Research Grant, Summer 2021
Fulbright, 2018
Mako Miura
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: M.A. in Anthropology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University (2023); B.A. in Anthropology, International Affairs, George Washington University (2021)
Research Interests: Early Childhood, Infants and Toddlers, Peer Interaction, Communication, Immigration
Geographical Interests: Japan, United States
Selected Publications, Presentations, Works-in-Progress:
Miura, M. (Nov 2022). Jumping into new cultures: how ECEC teachers engage multicultural students in Japan and the US. Presented at the annual conference of the American Anthropological Association, Seattle, WA.
Awards/Grants:
Japan Student Services Organization, Study Overseas Fellowship, 2023-2026
Rita Gold Center Graduate Assistant Scholarship, 2021-2024
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Summer Research Grant, 2022
The Anthropology Research Fund in Honor of Lambros Comitas, 2022
Maria Noland
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: M.A. French Studies, New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science
Research Interests: Disability studies, universal design, embodied cognition (enaction), aesthetics and education, contemplative inquiry in education, ethics of technology and form
Geographical Interests: France
Selected Publications, Presentations, Works-in-Progress:
Noland, M (2023). "An Esthetic Theory of the Subversive Sublime of Ital Cuisine." Food, Culture & Society, 26(1), 24-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2021.1962626
Awards/Grants:
Teachers College Dissertation Research Fellowship, 2022
Ruth and William Lubic Endowed Scholarship for Applied Anthropology, 2019-2021
Weatherhead East Asian Institute Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund Summer Grant, 2019
Elena Sauceda-Peeples
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: M.S.Ed in Adult Education, Indiana University
Research Interests: Community organizing, adult learning for/in political action, urbanization and urban planning, urban infrastructure, development of expertise, access to education, Latin American immigration to the United States
Geographical Interests: United States, Latin America
Selected Publications, Presentations, Works-in-Progress:
Callejas, Linda, Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein, Aaron Su, and Elena Peeples. (Forthcoming.) “Publics, Anthropologies, and Public Anthropologies.” American Anthropologist. 126, no. 1: 149-152. https://doi-org.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/10.1111/aman.13936
Gonzalez, Syd, Julio Garcia Solares, Fernando Martinez, Elena Peeples, and Kristian Rodriguez, with Alex Chavez, Discussant. Transnational Aesthetics and Placemaking: Latinx Ethnography in the U.S. 2023. [Roundtable]. American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. Toronto, ON, Canada. November 19, 2023.
Peeples, Elena J. 2023. “Absence and Ambiguity in Urban Governance.” [Paper Presentation]. American Ethnological Society, Council for Educational Anthropology, and the Association for Political and Legal Anthropology, Joint Spring Meeting. Princeton, NJ. March 24, 2023.
Peeples, Elena J. 2023. “Stories of ‘Economic Freedom’ Among Latin American Immigrants.” [Paper Presentation]. American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Meeting. Portland, OR. March 20, 2023.
Peeples, Elena J. 2023. “Lessons for Higher Education from Community-Based Education.” [Paper Presentation]. American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education National Conference. Las Vegas, NJ. March 2, 2023.
Peeples, Elena J. 2022. “Contested Jurisdictions: Breakdown as State Power in Trenton, NJ.” [Paper Presentation]. American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA. November 12, 2022.
Peeples, Elena J. 2021. “People, Policy, and Praxis: Freirean Pedagogy and Local-Level Policy Implementation.” Current Issues in Comparative Education 23, no. 2: 80-94. https://doi.org/10.7916/r4q8-qg91
Awards/Grants:
Wenner Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, 2024
Teachers College Education Policy Dissertation Research Fellowship, 2024
Nomination, Teachers College Shirley Chisholm Trailblazer Award for Student Excellence, 2023
Teachers College Dean’s Grant for Student Research, 2023
Honorable Mention, Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, 2022, 2023
Teachers College Doctoral Fellowship, Fall 2021-Spring 2022
Anthropology Research Fund in Honor of Lambros Comitas, 2021, 2022
Contributing Editors Program, American Anthropologist, Spring 2021 - Fall 2023
Noël Um-Lo
Ph.D. Applied Anthropology
Previous Graduate Education: M.A. Anthropology, Columbia University
Research Interests: Transnationalism, Governmentality, Statehood, Cultural Citizenship, Displaced Populations, Resettlement Schooling
Geographical Interests: The Koreas
Selected Publications, Presentations, Works-in-Progress:
Um, Noël. 2020. “Biopower, mediascapes, and the politics of fear in the age of COVID-19." City & Society 32 (2): ciso.12311.
Um-Lo, Noël. 2021. "Legacies of minjok and neo-confucianism in the early DPRK apparatus." Oxford University, Faculty of Oriental Studies: International History of East Asia.
Um, Noël. 2020. "Social production of spirit possession, women's ritual and healing in Korea." Barnard College, Department of Asian and Middle East Cultures.
Um, Noël. 2020. "Holding each other up: building civic carework ecologies through youth participatory action." Columbia University, Department of Anthropology: Anthroposium.
Awards/Grants:
TC Dean's Grant for Student Research
National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant
Arthur Zankel Urban Fellowship
TC Departmental General Scholarship
TC Departmental Minority Scholarship
Sarah Vázquez
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Graduate Education: Master of Arts in Teaching, Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Research Interests: Educational Anthropology, Political Anthropology, Race and Ethnic Studies, American Studies, Media Anthropology, Critical Pedagogy, Early Childhood Education; critical media literacy, raciolinguistics, racial literacy, multimodal and participatory research methodologies.
Geographical Interests: United States
Selected Publications:
Vázquez-Xu, Sarah. 2020. “From the Epicenter, At the Apex: A dispatch about birth and COVID-19 from New York City.” City & Society 32 (2): CISO.12330.
Selected Presentations:
Vázquez-Xu, S. Presenter. The About Birth and Corona Project. Screening Scholarship Media Festival. Collective for Advancing Multimodal Research Arts. University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA. May 2021.
Vázquez-Xu, S. Presenter. The About Birth and Corona Project. Visual Research for Social Change Conference. Visual Research Center for Education, Art & Social Change. Teachers College, Columbia University. New York City, NY. April 2021.
Vázquez-Xu, S. Presenter. Conducting Virtual Ethnography During a Pandemic. Podfest. Media and Social Change Lab. Teachers College, Columbia University. New York City, NY. April 2021.
Vázquez-Xu, S. Presenter. Virtual Ethnography During a Pandemic. Raising Our Voices. American Anthropological Association. Virtual. November 2020.
Vázquez-Xu, S. Presenter. Virtual Ethnography in Response to COVID-19 Fieldwork Concerns. Anth Symposium. Department of Anthropology, Columbia University. New York City, NY. July 2020.
Awards/Grants:
TC Doctoral Research Collective for the Study of Race and Ethnicity Invited Scholar, Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs, 2021.
Teachers College Doctoral Fellowship, 2019-2021.
Anthropology Research Fund in Honor of Lambros Comitas, 2020.
Skylar Hou
Ph.D. Anthropology and Education
Previous Education: BA in French and Psychology & Education, Mount Holyoke College
Research Interests: Language Endangerment and Revitalization, Language Education, Time and Memory, Aging
Geographical Interests: China and Chinese diaspora in the United States
Publications:
Hou, Skylar. 2024. “The Semi-Conductor Radio Made in Shanghai: Deception by Accident.” Anthropology News. April, 2024.
Hou, Skylar. 2023. “Literacies: Weaving the Threads of Wisdom and Expression.’” REED annual report, Weatherhead East Asian Institute.
Hou, Skylar. 2023. ““I Don’t Dare to Think about the Future”: Findings Possibilities for Dyslexic Students in China.” AERA Online Paper Depository. https://doi.org/10.3102/2011712
Hou, Skylar. 2022. “Dear Mandarin Teacher: A Lesson on Languages in China.” Monograph. Printed Matter Inc., Distribution Program.
Awards/Grants:
Dean’s Grant in Student Research, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2024
Vice President’s Grant for Diversity and Community Initiative, Teachers College, 2023
Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship, Weatherhead East Asian Institute, 2023
Lambros Comitas Research Grant, Teachers College, 2023
Doctoral Fellowship, Teachers College, 2022 - 2025