Nicholas R. Spitzer

Nicholas R. Spitzer is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and American Studies at Tulane University, specializing in folklore, ethnography, and American vernacular music. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.

His research explores cultural creolization, Gulf Coast ethnography, and public cultural policy, with extensive fieldwork in Louisiana's Creole communities. Publications focus on cultural resilience in post-disaster contexts and music as identity expression.

Key awards include the Benjamin Botkin Lifetime Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, and Louisiana Humanist of the Year for post-Katrina cultural recovery efforts. He founded the Louisiana Folklife Program and produces the radio show American Routes.