Alexandra Lippman

Alexandra Lippman is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Pomona College, with a focus on cultural anthropology and sound ethnography. Her work bridges Latin America, Brazil, and media and technology to examine race, legal anthropology, and intellectual property. She founded the Sound Ethnography Project, co-runs the record label Discos Rolas, and hosts the radio show “Sound Study” on Dublab. Her research explores the culturalization and criminalization of sonic practices in Brazil and the commercialization of open access platforms like ResearchGate.

• Ph.D. and M.A. in Anthropology from University of California, Irvine
• B.A. in Anthropology from Bryn Mawr College

Her scholarly work analyzes sonic sovereignty, alternative intellectual property frameworks, and the politics of academic metrics. She co-edited Gaming the Metrics (MIT Press, 2020), a volume critiquing academic misconduct in the digital age. Her ethnographic research in Brazil since 2008 underpins her manuscript The Power of Funk: Citizenship, Race, and Sonic Sovereignty in Rio de Janeiro.

Lippman’s publications span sound studies, open access ethics, and cultural politics. Her creative work has been featured in The New York Times, L.A. Weekly, and The FADER. She advocates for non-market-based knowledge distribution through her research on platforms like SciELO in Brazil.

• Intel PhD Fellowship
• National Science Foundation grant DDIG 1058768 for research on Brazilian intellectual property

She has no listed advisees. Her current projects include reimagining ethnographic attention through experimental media and collaborative scholarship.