Susan Lepselter

Susan Lepselter is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies and Anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington's College of Arts and Sciences, where she serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies for American Studies. Her interdisciplinary work bridges creative scholarship with critical theory, focusing on cultural manifestations of the uncanny and affective dimensions of contemporary American life.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Folklore and Social Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin (2005)
• B.A., Wesleyan University

Lepselter's research centers on public feeling and affect theory, uncanny conspiracy frameworks, neurodivergence in cultural production, human/animal relationality, and indigenous media. She examines how unconventional experiences like UFO encounters and hoarding behaviors reveal power structures through poetic and ethnographic lenses, with particular attention to emotional resonance in marginalized narratives.

Her publications demonstrate consistent engagement with liminal cultural phenomena, including her monograph on UFO captivities and hoarding narratives in media. These works collectively explore how affective disorientation challenges normative social frameworks through unconventional storytelling.

Her distinguished recognition includes:

• Gregory Bateson Book Prize (Society for Cultural Anthropology, 2017)
• New Frontiers Experimentation Award for Poetry (Indiana University, 2018)
• IU Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching (FACET) Mumford Award (2021)

Lepselter teaches graduate seminars on affect theory and interdisciplinary ethnography alongside undergraduate courses on captivity narratives, indigenous film, and the social life of dreaming, though specific advising details and grant history remain unreported in available materials.