Jayne Howell

Jayne Howell is a Professor of Anthropology and Co-Director of Latin American Studies at California State University, Long Beach. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from SUNY Stony Brook (1993). Her research focuses on ethnography, applied anthropology, and Latin America, with specialties in education, migration, gender, tourism, and indigenous identity in Mexico and Southern California. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Oaxaca, Mexico, examining topics like Isthmus Zapotec women’s roles, urbanization patterns, and socio-economic mobility.

Her academic service includes roles as SUNTA President (2016-2018), co-editor of Practicing Anthropology, and board membership with the Society for Applied Anthropology. Notable recognition includes the 2006 Carlos and Guillermo Vigil Prize for her work on Zapotec women’s cultural commodification.

Recent publications highlight methodological innovations (e.g., transportation studies on campuses) and critical analyses of educational migration patterns in Mexico. Her teaching spans ethnographic field methods, gender studies, and Latin American cultures, emphasizing career-oriented applied anthropology.