Frederick Klaits

Frederick Klaits is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo (UB) and currently serves as Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences. He also directs the Medical Anthropology Lab at UB. His work bridges medical anthropology, the anthropology of religion, and political theory.

Education

• PhD, Johns Hopkins University
• MA, Johns Hopkins University
• MA, Yale University
• BA, Yale University

Research Interests

Professor Klaits investigates how people experience their well-being as intertwined—or not—with the well-being of others. His research spans three interconnected domains:

• Medical anthropology: Long-term ethnographic work in Botswana examining care, love, and moral passion during the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
• Anthropology of religion: Studies of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in both southern Africa and the United States, focusing on prophecy, spiritual kinship, and moral peril.
• Political theory & ethics: Analysis of regimes of value, gift exchange, and the politics of care.

Publication Trends

Across more than two decades his publications have progressively moved from detailed ethnographies of Apostolic healing churches in Botswana to comparative studies of Pentecostal communities in the United States. Recurring themes include the aesthetics of well-being, intercession and prayer as social practices, and the moral economies surrounding race, health, and religious experience.

Scientific Awards

No specific awards are listed in the provided materials.

Advising & Grants

As Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Klaits mentors MA and PhD students in cultural and medical anthropology. While individual student names are not provided, his leadership of the Medical Anthropology Lab suggests ongoing collaborative research projects and grant activity.

Laboratories & Teams

He directs the Medical Anthropology Lab in the Department of Anthropology, which supports ethnographic and mixed-methods research on health, illness, and healing in diverse cultural contexts.