Matilda Stubbs

Matilda Stubbs is a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz (2005), an MA (2012), and a PhD (2018) in Anthropology from Northwestern University. Her research interests focus on the human condition through interdisciplinary lenses, including communication studies, sensory ethnography, visual anthropology, tourism, and material culture such as slime subcultures.

• Education:
• BA Anthropology, UC Santa Cruz (2005)
• MA Anthropology, Northwestern University (2012)
• PhD Anthropology, Northwestern University (2018)

Her teaching emphasizes ethnographic writing and cross-cultural analysis, with courses like the Anthropology of Time, Sensory Studies, Visual Anthropology, and Tourism Studies. She has received notable awards, including the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and Wenner Gren Dissertation Grant. Her work bridges theory and practice, incorporating multimedia and participatory methods to explore topics such as temporal perception, sensory mediation, and visual representation in digital age contexts.

• Recent Research:
• Examines how visual media (film, TikTok, virtual reality) shape cultural narratives
• Investigates the role of slime in contemporary self-care practices
• Explores ethical dimensions of tourism representation and global leisure economies

Her courses blend critical theory with hands-on projects, such as photo essays, meme ethnographies, and ethnographic fieldwork. She actively engages students in analyzing the sociocultural implications of communication technologies and sensory experiences.