Mariane C. Ferme

Mariane C. Ferme is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on sociocultural dynamics in West Africa, particularly Sierra Leone, with expertise in political anthropology, legal studies, and material culture. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Chicago and has taught at prestigious institutions including the University of Cambridge and École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales.

• Education: PhD in Anthropology (University of Chicago), MA in Political Science (University of Milano), BA in Anthropology (Wellesley College).

Ferme’s research spans the political imagination in conflict zones, agrarian transformations, and the interplay between humanitarian law and local justice systems. Her work has been supported by major grants from the National Science Foundation and the France-Berkeley Fund. She has published extensively on Sierra Leone’s post-war societies and the socio-cultural dimensions of the Ebola outbreak.

Scientific awards include funding from the National Science Foundation, Hellman Family Faculty Fund, France-Berkeley Fund, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, and the Carter Woodson Institute for African and African-American Studies.