معرفی
Jessica Robbins serves as Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology within the Department of Anthropology at Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her academic appointments include affiliation with the Institute of Gerontology, reflecting her interdisciplinary focus on aging studies. Robbins maintains an active research program examining moral processes of social inclusion/exclusion among older adults across diverse geopolitical contexts.
- B.A. in Anthropology and Music, Williams College (2001)
- M.A. in Anthropology, University of Michigan (2006)
- Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Michigan (2013)
- Graduate Certificate in Russian and East European Studies, University of Michigan (2013)
- Graduate Teacher Certificate, University of Michigan (2013)
Robbins' research centers on medical anthropology and aging, with particular emphasis on how political-economic transformations shape experiences of late life. Her work spans postsocialist Poland and the post-industrial United States, examining kinship, personhood, memory practices, and palliative care through ethnographic lenses. Current projects investigate therapeutic reminiscence among Detroit-area older adults and the historical development of aging sciences in Central Europe. She demonstrates consistent methodological innovation through garden-based ethnography and digital storytelling projects.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals strong thematic continuity in examining moral frameworks of aging across geopolitical contexts. Her work bridges medical anthropology, political economy, and memory studies with increasing attention to urban environments and environmental justice issues since 2020. The Flint Water Crisis research represents a significant expansion into environmental anthropology while maintaining core theoretical commitments to personhood and social inclusion.
- 2024 Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award (Wayne State University)
- 2021 Aquila Polonica Prize for best Polish studies article
- 2021 Best Article Prize from Polish Memory Studies Group
- National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Grant (2008-2010)
- Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant (2008-2010)
- NIH-funded MCUAAAR Pilot Scholar (2016-2017)
Robbins actively mentors graduate students in sociocultural and medical anthropology, supervising research on aging, memory, and urban environments. Her grant portfolio demonstrates sustained success in securing competitive funding from NIH, NSF, Wenner-Gren, and university sources totaling over $25,000 annually in recent years. Current projects include NIH-funded reminiscence research and social justice grants examining dementia care. She serves as Digital Editor for Medical Anthropology Quarterly and contributes to interdisciplinary collaborations through the Ethnic Layers of Detroit digital humanities project.
