Mary A. Porter

Mary A. Porter is a faculty member in the Anthropology department at Sarah Lawrence College since 1992, currently serving as Associate Dean of the College (2007–2012). She holds a BA from Manchester University and an MA and PhD from the University of Washington.

Research interests:

• Kinship theory and its intersection with race, class, and gender
• Postcolonial and feminist anthropology
• Queer theory in global contexts
• Educational studies and oral history methodologies
• Domestic and transnational foster care/adoption discourses

Scientific awards:

• Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Research fellowship
• Spencer fellowship

Her courses include topics like "Black and White and Red All Over: Races and Racism in Imperial Britain" and "Faking Families: An Anthropology of Kinship." She has contributed to publications on gender, kinship, and sexuality, including co-authoring Winds of Change: Women in Northwest Commercial Fishing.