Fabienne Martin

Fabienne Martin is a permanent Research Fellow at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Solidarity, Societies, Territories (LISST) at University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès. As an anthropologist specializing in social anthropology and ethnology, her work bridges French academic institutions with field sites in India, Japan, Taiwan, and Brazil. She coordinates research seminars on narrative forms and writing practices in anthropology, and co-leads interdisciplinary research axes on environment and societies (ENVIES) and writing practices (ÉCRITURES).

Dr. Martin's research explores fundamental questions about human existence within globalized techno-capitalism. Her work forms a 'cartography of existences' that examines how individuals navigate social systems and create new relational modes. She has developed two major research strands: a long-term ethnographic study of leprosy communities in India, tracking how successive generations manage social exclusion and stigmatizing genealogies within caste structures and globalization; and counterpoint research on 'smart' communities in Japan, investigating digital networks and information technologies within contemporary society. Her anthropological approach reveals the 'tiny and fragile human body' as it confronts globalized techno-capitalism.

Her publications demonstrate consistent engagement with themes of marginality, community formation, and existential bifurcations across diverse cultural contexts. Martin's work spans traditional academic publications, visual anthropology (documentary films), and digital scholarship, reflecting her commitment to innovative ethnographic representation. She has contributed significantly to understanding how marginalized communities navigate complex social structures while maintaining their agency and creating new forms of existence.

As an academic leader, Martin supervises PhD students conducting fieldwork across Asia and coordinates major interdisciplinary research initiatives. Her work with the LISST laboratory situates her at the intersection of social anthropology, medical anthropology, and digital studies, contributing to theoretical debates about community, existence, and the impact of technological transformations on human societies.