Elise Berman

Elise Berman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, affiliated with the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (CHESS). She holds a PhD from the University of Chicago (2012), an MA from the University of Chicago (2008), and a BA from Dartmouth College (2003).

Her research focuses on linguistic anthropology, migration (particularly climate change migration among Marshallese communities), children’s cultures, racialization, and Pacific Islander societies. She examines sociolinguistic constructions of age, race, and gender, with recent work addressing educational inequity in multilingual schools, English Learner status, and neocolonialism. Past projects included studies on child agency, adoption practices, and corporal discipline in the Marshall Islands, as well as Marshallese experiences during the pandemic.

Dr. Berman’s work is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation, and others. She teaches courses such as Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology and Anthropology of Childhood.

• Awards: Includes the Wenner-Gren Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowship, William Henry Award, and Bernice Neugarten Prize.
• Research Themes: Climate migration, language socialization, child development, and anthropological methods.