Catherine Besteman

Catherine Besteman is the Francis F. Bartlett and Ruth K. Bartlett Professor of Anthropology at Colby College. Her work intersects race, mobility, security, neoliberalism, and carcerality, aiming to explore pathways toward abolition. She has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Somalia, South Africa, and the U.S., with a focus on migration, militarization, and systemic insecurity.

Education:

• B.A., Amherst
• M.A., Ph.D., University of Arizona

Her research examines carceral systems, border militarization, and global inequalities, notably in her award-winning book Militarized Global Apartheid (2020). She is a past President of the Association of Political and Legal Anthropologists and a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow. Current projects include Freedom & Captivity, a public humanities initiative exploring abolitionist futures in Maine.

Scientific Awards:

• Public Anthropologist Prize (2022)
• Guggenheim Fellowship (2012)
• Leeds Honor Book Award (2009)

She leads collaborative initiatives such as the Justice Think Tank and Colby Across the Walls, which engage incarcerated individuals in research and education. Her publications address carceral systems, algorithmic governance, and post-apartheid social transformations, reflecting her commitment to engaged anthropology beyond academia.