Michael W. Scott

Michael W. Scott is a Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His primary research focuses on Oceania, particularly Melanesia, with a theoretical emphasis on anthropological ontology, cosmology, and wonder studies. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Solomon Islands since 1992, focusing on the Arosi people and their poly-ontological cosmology. His work explores human-nonhuman relations, indigenous Christianities, and the interplay between Euro-American and Melanesian ontological frameworks.

Education: PhD from the University of Chicago, influenced by mentors like Marshall Sahlins and Marilyn Strathern. He co-organizes the Melanesia Research Seminar at the British Museum. His major publication, The Severed Snake, examines Arosi matrilineages and place-making. Current projects include a comparative study of wonder as an ontological instrument and analysis of relationalist assumptions in ontology debates.

Key interests include poly-ontology, ontological transformation, and the re-enchantment of modernity. His research challenges monolithic views of Melanesian sociality, proposing instead a nuanced engagement with diverse cosmological frameworks. Though no formal grants or labs are explicitly listed, his work intersects with LSE's broader anthropological research initiatives.