Andrea Wright

Andrea Wright is a Professor of Anthropology and Asian & Middle Eastern Studies at the College of William & Mary. Her research examines global capitalism through the lens of labor migration, oil industries, and decolonial theories. She holds a PhD in Anthropology & History from the University of Michigan, alongside multiple advanced degrees. Her work bridges historical analysis and ethnography, focusing on South Asian and Middle Eastern labor dynamics, particularly in Gulf oil economies.

Key projects include Between Dreams and Ghosts (2021), an ethnography of Indian Gulf migrant labor, and Unruly Labor (2024), a historical study of oil strikes in the Arabian Peninsula. Current research explores the global legacy of the Taft-Hartley Act and green energy infrastructure development in the U.S., India, and Kuwait, analyzing intersections of ethnonationalism and environmental policy.

Her teaching spans courses on migration, cultural anthropology, labor history, and Middle Eastern studies. She regularly contributes to public discourse via podcasts and media interviews, emphasizing migrant worker precarity and the political economy of oil.