Deirdre de la Cruz

Deirdre de la Cruz is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of History at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on Southeast Asian cultures, particularly the Philippines, with specialties in religion, colonialism, visual culture, and media theory. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University (2006).

• Education: Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, Columbia University (2006)

Her current research examines Marian apparitions in the Philippines as reflections of colonial and post-colonial modernity. She also explores global occultisms, media histories, and the intersection of technology and modernity in the Asia-Pacific.

Awards:

• National Humanities Center SIAS Fellow (2007-2008)
• Charlotte Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship (2003-2004)
• Fulbright-Hayes Dissertation Research Fellowship (2000-2001)

Her teaching includes courses like Jesus Comes to Asia and Secular Enchantments, blending historical and anthropological perspectives. She contributes to the Asian Languages & Cultures program and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.