Mariann Vaczi

Mariann Vaczi is an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, affiliated with the Center for Basque Studies and serving as Director of Graduate Studies. Her research explores the intersection of sport, physical culture, and national identity through anthropological frameworks.

• Ph.D., Basque Studies and Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno (2013)
• M.A., English and American Studies, ELTE University, Budapest (2006)
• M.A., Sociology and Social Anthropology, Central European University, Budapest (2005)
• B.A., Anthropology, Saint Vincent College (2004)

Her academic focus examines the moving body as a site of political struggle, particularly in sub-national contexts like Catalonia and the Basque Country. Key areas include cultural performance in sports, ethnonationalist movements, and the symbolic dimensions of soccer fandom.

Recent publications analyze global sport dynamics, traditional physical practices (castells, pelota), and the role of sport in post-dictatorship societies. Her 2023 monograph Catalonia’s Human Towers investigates how bodily labor becomes national symbolism.

Vaczi’s work bridges anthropological theory with empirical studies of sport as cultural resistance, emphasizing gender, identity, and the politics of heritage in European regional contexts. She teaches courses on Basque culture and global sport-society relationships.