Jason A. Pine

Jason A. Pine is Professor of Media Studies and Anthropology at Purchase College, State University of New York, affiliated with the School of Film and Media Studies. His ethnographic research focuses on the intersections of illicit economies, material culture, and late-industrial decay, documented through literary nonfiction.

Education:

• BA, University of Chicago
• MA, New School for Social Research
• PhD, University of Texas at Austin

Research Focus: Pine examines how marginalized communities navigate collapsing industrial landscapes through inventive survival strategies. His work on meth production in rural Missouri reveals entanglements between DIY labs, pharmaceutical capitalism, and environmental toxicity, while his Naples research explores how aspiring musicians negotiate Camorra networks. Key concepts include 'alchemical ontology,' 'counterfeit aesthetics,' and 'decomposition' as analytical frameworks.

Publication Trends: Pine's recent works (2016-2023) consistently interrogate materiality, toxicity, and illegality. They blend ethnographic depth with theoretical innovation in media studies and anthropology, tracing how substances (meth), symbols (mafia iconography), and spaces (post-industrial ruins) mediate human survival in late capitalism.

Awards & Fellowships:

• Victor Turner Prize Honorable Mention (2020)
• Gregory Bateson Book Prize Honorable Mention (2020)
• Premio Sila ’49 (2015)
• Berlin Prize Fellowship (2015)
• Wenner-Gren Foundation Grant (2002)

Grants & Projects: Pine has received support from the Chemical Heritage Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and multiple Purchase College awards (Fishbein Award, Fehr Professorship). His collaborative exhibitions include The Golden Cage (Aga Khan Museum) and Heartland Alchemy, exploring meth's material culture through installation art.