Christopher T. Nelson

Christopher T. Nelson is an Associate Professor specializing in sociocultural anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (2002), M.A. from Cornell University, and B.A. from Pennsylvania State University.

His research examines:

• Cultural memory and historical narrative
• Performance and ritual in Okinawan society
• Postwar identity formation
• Ethnographic methodologies
• Critical theory applications

Dr. Nelson's scholarship explores the intersections of performance, memory, and political expression in contemporary Okinawa. His book examines how traditional dance forms mediate social relationships and historical consciousness in postwar Japan.

He teaches courses including 'Walking in the World' and 'Return to Empire: The Anthropology of War and Imperialism', integrating ethnographic approaches with critical theoretical frameworks.