Kathryn Graber

Kathryn Graber is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Her work focuses on linguistic and sociocultural anthropology in post-Soviet Eurasia, particularly in Russia’s Buryat territories and Mongolia. She directs the Qualitative Data Analysis Laboratory and is affiliated with the Russian Studies Workshop, Siberian Studies Initiative, and CaMP Anthropology.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Michigan (2012)
• M.A. in Russian and East European Studies, University of Michigan (2008)
• M.A. in Anthropology, University of Michigan (2006)
• B.A. in Linguistics and Anthropology, University of Chicago (2002)

Research Interests: Dr. Graber investigates media, language shift, multilingualism, materiality, and political economy in Siberia and Mongolia. Her book Mixed Messages: Mediating Native Belonging in Asian Russia (2020) explores how language and media shape identity in Buryat communities. Recent projects include studies on emotion in language contraction and the cultural dimensions of Mongolia’s cashmere industry. She emphasizes the role of affect in language revitalization and global commodity chains.

Recognition:

• Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (Indiana University, 2020)
• Trustees Teaching Awards (2017, 2019)
• SSRC Transregional Research Fellowship (2016–17)

Lab & Teaching: Directs the Qualitative Data Analysis Lab. Teaches courses on language and culture, ethnographic methods, and property studies in Central Eurasia.