, ride along with the Russian mafia as Professor of Anthropology and Peace and Conflict Studies Nancy Ries shares her experiences conducting anthropological research in Russia. She also offers insights into the rise of Thugocracy — and the cultural importance of potatoes.
Professor Ries specializes in symbolic anthropology, social theory, Russian culture and society, and peace and conflict studies. She has taught a multitude of courses within sociology and anthropology, peace and conflict studies, Russian and Eurasian studies, and the Liberal Arts Core Curriculum. Her published work can be found in Cultural Anthropology, Leviathan Journal, New Literary History, and many others. Ries holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a master’s and PhD from Cornell University.
In 2021, Ries was the recipient of the Jerome Balmuth Award for Teaching and Student Engagement, which recognizes a 51·çÁ÷ faculty member who demonstrates distinctively successful and transformative teaching, regardless of methodology.
Each episode of 13, 51·çÁ÷’s biweekly podcast, digs into the work of a University community member by asking 13 questions. Episodes highlight the wide array of academic disciplines at 51·çÁ÷, with interviews featuring faculty from political science, sociology and anthropology, physics and astronomy, women’s studies, English, Africana and Latin American studies, and many more.
Previous episodes of 13 have featured: Joanna Holvey-Bowles, Martin Wong, Pamela Gramlich, Dorsey Spencer Jr., Danielle Nied, Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar, F. Scott Kraly, Kerra Hunter, Joe Levy, Nicki Moore, Ken Valente, Sarah Keen, Daniel Benton ’80, Laura H. Jack, Carrie Keating, Robert Kraynak, Dan Gough, Jennifer Tomlinson, Ana Jimenez, Alicia Simmons, Juan Fernando Ibarra Del Cuentro, Karen Harpp, Kwazi Konadu, Paul McLoughlin II, Anthony Aveni, Robert Garland, Ryan Hall, Craig Hatkoff ’76, Susan Thomson, Nick Kokonas ’91, Jessica Graybill, Brian W. Casey, Jeff Bary, Jennifer Brice, Ellen Percy Kraly, Danielle Lupton, Ynesse Abdul-Malak, Nimanthi Rajasingham, and John Pumilio.
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