معرفی
Ara Wilson is an Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies and Cultural Anthropology at Duke University, and an affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society. Her research bridges empirical ethnography with theoretical analysis, focusing on intersections between economic systems, gender/sexuality systems, and transnational networks. She holds a Ph.D. from City University of New York (1997), M.Phil. (1992), and B.A. from Vassar College (1984).
Her work spans ethnographic studies in Bangkok (pre-COVID), Science & Technology Studies (e.g., medical tourism and infrastructure), and queer political economy (QPE). She conceptualizes keywords like 'intimacy' and 'infrastructure' through transnational lenses. Wilson has also contributed to critical histories of Anthropology and Women’s Studies, analyzing the UN-NGO orbit and World Social Forum dynamics. Teaching includes undergraduate courses like Money/Sex/Power and graduate seminars in feminist theory and research design.
Recent research emphasizes 'queer infrastructures' and the political economy of gender, reflected in articles like Desiring Infrastructure (2023) and Gender Before the Gender Turn (2021). Awards include a Mellon Faculty Manuscript Workshop grant (2012) and recognition for her mentorship of graduate students during her tenure as Director of Graduate Studies (GSF).
- Awards: Intellectual Community Planning Grant (2016), Duke LGBT Center Faculty Recognition (2008)
- Key Projects: Co-initiated Duke's Transgender Studies courses and Digital Feminism curriculum
- Public Engagement: Provided expert commentary on Bangkok bombings (2015) and gender data controversies (2016)
Her work traverses disciplinary boundaries, linking feminist theory to global political economies while maintaining empirical rigor through ethnographic fieldwork and textual analysis.
