David Nugent

David Nugent is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Emory University. He holds a PhD from Columbia University (1988) and specializes in sociocultural anthropology, political economics, and Latin American studies. His research focuses on state formation, race/ethnicity, agrarian societies, and the interplay between knowledge systems and power. Nugent’s fieldwork spans diverse regions including the Peruvian Andes, East Africa, the Canadian Arctic, and the U.S. Southwest.

Key publications include The Encrypted State (2019), Modernity at the Edge of Empire (1997), and co-edited volumes such as State Theory and Andean Politics (2015). He has received the Choice Magazine ‘Outstanding Academic Title’ award for his collaborative work. Current projects explore vernacular sovereignties in Pacific-facing Latin America and underground democratic forms in Peru.

Nugent’s research bridges historical and political anthropology, examining how states negotiate legitimacy through symbolic systems, fear, and displacement. His work critiques colonial and neocolonial knowledge frameworks while analyzing contemporary challenges like urban inequality and smart city governance.

• Education: PhD in Anthropology, Columbia University (1988)
• Awards: Choice Magazine ‘Outstanding Academic Title of 2004’
• Projects: Co-editing ReOrienting Latin American History and authoring Sacropolitics: Group Sacrifice and the State of Redemption