MEET: GAURI PITALE
Name: Gauri A. Pitale
Pronouns: She/Her
Ethnicity: Indian
Academic Background
• PhD Medical Anthropology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• MA Biological Anthropology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• MA Ancient Indian Culture, History, & Archaeology, Deccan College (Deemed University), India.
• BA Ancient Indian Culture, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai University, India
Research Interests
• Effects of globalization, urbanization, and nutritional transition
• Appearances of diet-related chronic non-communicable diseases
• Shifting gender identities as a result of modernization
• Ethnic and Diasporic Identity
• Bioarchaeology of the Indian subcontinent
• Ancient Indian History
Current Position
Assistant Professor in Life Sciences at Ivy Tech Community College
Purpose of participation
As a native anthropologist, I believe it is time to decolonize anthropology and recognize that the first step forward is to acknowledge that we still use western cultural values as the norm. The language used to refer to our interlocutors and our acknowledgement of them as the cultural experts instead of thinking that we know more about their culture because we study it, is vital for the future of anthropology.
My vision of Popular Anthropology Magazine
I believe Popular Anthropology Magazine can provide a platform for important conversations regarding the direction that the field of anthropology is taking as a whole. Additionally, I believe that non-anthropologists should have access to the research that is being undertaken. This will create awareness about the field among people who have misguided notions of what anthropology actually does. (PS: We don’t study dinosaur bones, those are paleontologists. They are very cool too!)
Why is anthropology important to you?
I believe anthropology as a field has a lot that it can learn from the part that it has played into creating "scientific" race. Today we know that our legacy is a literal skeleton in the closet which needs to be addressed and the effects of that legacy need to be rectified. This field has the ability to right those wrongs. As anthropologists we should be invested in ensuring that we are allies to all the marginalized peoples in the world.
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