Elana Zilberg

Elana Zilberg is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She holds affiliations with the International Institute, the University of California Collaboratory for Ethnographic Design (CoLED), and the Studio for Ethnographic Design. Her research focuses on transnational securityscapes, urban river revitalization, and the intersection of immigration, criminal, and antiterrorist law. She co-directed the Nature, Space and Politics initiative (2017–present) and previously led CoLED (2015–2017) and the Studio for Ethnographic Design (2012–2017). She is also affiliated with the Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies, Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, Chicanx and Latinx Studies, and Ethnic Studies.

She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2002. Her work bridges cultural anthropology with communication studies, emphasizing ethnographic methodologies. Key research themes include transnational gang dynamics, urban infrastructure, and environmental activism. She has published extensively, including her book Space of Detention: The Making of a Transnational Gang Crisis between Los Angeles and San Salvador (2011) and a forthcoming work on the Los Angeles River revitalization.

Zilberg’s research explores how neoliberalism and globalization shape transnational spaces, particularly through security policies and environmental movements. She investigates the cultural politics of migration, border regimes, and the production of urban spaces. Her recent work analyzes the Los Angeles River as a site of contested environmental and racial narratives. She teaches graduate courses on ethnographic methods and design, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between anthropology, communication, and science studies.