معرفی
John Bodinger serves as Professor of Anthropology at Susquehanna University, holding concurrent leadership roles as Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Director of Museum Studies, Director of Diversity Studies, and Program Director for study abroad initiatives in Iceland and Morocco. His academic trajectory spans over two decades at the institution, progressing from Assistant Professor (2003) to Associate Professor (2009) to full Professor (2021), while maintaining active research and program development.
His educational background includes a BA from Vassar College, followed by MA and PhD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, where he combined photography with cultural anthropology after a decade in commercial photography. This unconventional path informs his interdisciplinary approach to visual representation and institutional analysis.
Bodinger's research centers on museum studies, particularly examining Native American representation in tribal casinos and museums, Icelandic national identity construction, and the anthropology of tourism. His work critically analyzes how visual and spatial practices shape narratives of sovereignty, with significant contributions to understanding service learning pedagogy and the impacts of global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic on study abroad programs. His methodology blends ethnographic observation with visual analysis to interrogate power dynamics in representational spaces.
His publication portfolio reveals evolving thematic priorities: early work focused on Mashantucket Pequot tribal representation (culminating in the 2007 monograph Casino and Museum), expanding to Icelandic museology and critical study abroad pedagogy in recent years. This trajectory demonstrates a consistent concern with how institutions mediate cultural identity, increasingly emphasizing decolonial frameworks and crisis-responsive educational innovation.
- Fulbright–NSF Arctic Research Scholar Award (2017)
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Planning Grant for Museum Studies ($20,000, 2015)
- Sycuan Institute Tribal Gaming Research Grant ($13,250, 2009)
- Eight Susquehanna University Faculty Development Grants (2006-2022)
As academic administrator, Bodinger directs multiple interdisciplinary programs while advising the university's Ultimate Frisbee team. His grant portfolio demonstrates strategic focus on program development (Museum Studies) and crisis-responsive pedagogy (post-pandemic study abroad). Current projects include co-authoring No Two Identical Things about the Museum of Sundry Objects and examining sovereignty narratives at Iceland's National Museum through Fulbright-supported research.
Though not explicitly detailing laboratory facilities, his work involves collaborative research with Icelandic institutions and tribal nations, utilizing museum spaces as primary field sites. His leadership in the Council for Museum Anthropology and American Anthropological Association panels indicates active community engagement in shaping disciplinary discourse around representation and pedagogy.
