Barbara Worley

Barbara Worley is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at UMass Boston. Her expertise spans cultural anthropology, sociology, and interdisciplinary studies, with a focus on Africa and Islamic societies.

• PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University
• Undergraduate degree in Ancient Greek language and literature

Her research explores gender dynamics, cultural ecology, and ritual practices among the Kel Fadey Tuareg pastoral nomads of the Sahara. Funded by prestigious institutions like Fulbright-Hays and Wenner-Gren Foundation, she has conducted four years of fieldwork across three expeditions to the central Sahara. Notable publications include analyses of Tuareg matrilineal systems, gendered wealth distribution, and conflict dynamics. Barbara is currently revising two book manuscripts: one on Tuareg matrilineal practices and another on the Amazons of North Africa.

• Specializations: Gender, cultural ecology, social theory, ritual and religion
• Teaching: Cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics