Steven M. Parish

Professor Steven M. Parish is a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from UCSD (1987) and specializes in psychological, medical, and cultural anthropology. His research focuses on the self, emotion, moral experience, religion, and global health, with fieldwork in Nepal and the U.S. He explores the intersection of climate change, sustainability, and cultural diversity, particularly in South Asia. His work bridges theory and practice, addressing themes like inequality, subjectivity of suffering, and human-environmental ethics.

• Education: Ph.D. in Anthropology, UCSD (1987)

Research interests include: psychological anthropology, religion (Hinduism/Buddhism), climate change impacts, global health equity, and the anthropology of South Asia. He employs person-centered ethnography to study moral orientation, caste society, and cultural dimensions of well-being across the lifespan.

Publications include monographs on caste consciousness, Hindu sacred cities, and American cultural subjectivity. His book reviews span journals like American Ethnologist and Journal of Asian Studies.

Parish’s career began with non-academic work in forestry and organic farming, informing his current focus on sustainability and environmental ethics. He advocates for interdisciplinary approaches to global challenges.