Departmental News

Posted:  Jul 26, 2024 - 09:00am

Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Emeritus Steven Feld at The University of New Mexico has been elected as a British Academy Fellow. He was among the 86 leading scholars from the humanities and social sciences elected from the United Kingdom and the world.

UNM Professor Emeritus of Anthropology Steven Feld

“I am honored to become an International Fellow of the British Academy, whose present and past fellows include British and International colleagues and friends whose research in anthropology and aligned fields I greatly admire,” Feld said.

Feld taught at UNM for 10 years, across the fields of cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and world music.

Many of his classes were cross-listed between Anthropology − his principal appointment − and the Music Department where he held a courtesy appointment.

“Although my geographical areas of expertise are Melanesia, Southern Europe, and West Africa, I particularly enjoyed the unique opportunity to teach and learn from UNM's Native American and New Mexican undergraduate students, and especially to work in Anthropology with distinguished colleagues and long-time friends Keith Basso, Marta Weigle, and Louise Lamphere,” Feld said.

Feld is known for his invention of a field of study, the anthropology of sound, also known as acoustemology, that reaches across cultures, languages, musics, environments to inquire into sound as a way of knowing the world. Three generations of researchers from the U.S., Australia, Europe, and Japan now do this kind of work throughout the world. The work has earned the recognition of grants, prizes, honorary doctorates, and fellowships like this generous one from the British Academy.

Find out more about Feld’s work on his website.

This year’s cohort of new Fellows - many of whom have received funding and support from the Academy throughout their careers - represent a diverse range of specialisms across the humanities and social sciences. The new Fellows’ areas of expertise include the contemporary study of political participation, reconstructing ancient human diets and religion, war, and society in the English-speaking world.

The new Fellows join a community of more than 1700 distinguished academics.

Welcoming the new Fellows for 2024, President of the British Academy Professor Julia Black said, “We are delighted to welcome this year’s cohort of Fellows, and I offer my warmest congratulations to each and every one. Since the Academy was created in 1902, our Fellows have been the lifeblood of the organisation, representing the very best of our disciplines – and we would not have the impact we have without their expertise, time, and energy. I very much look forward to working closely with our new Fellows; the breadth and depth of their expertise adds so much to the Academy.”

Find out more about the British Academy and a complete list of the newly elected Fellows on its website.

Read more about Dr. Feld and watch presentations of his research on the UNM Anthropology Website