Matthew Hull

Dr. Matthew Hull is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan and Director of the Center for South Asian Studies. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago (2003) and specializes in semiotic approaches to bureaucracy, governance, corporations, urban planning, and material culture, with regional expertise in South Asia.

His research examines how communicative practices shape political-economic institutions, particularly through written artifacts and administrative technologies. Current book project Incorporations extends anthropological study of governance to modern corporations as politico-legal institutions.

Research Focus

• Semiotics of bureaucratic documentation
• Urban planning and governance systems
• Corporate political-economic significance
• Material culture of administration
• Postcolonial state formation in South Asia

Dr. Hull teaches courses on corporations, technology, materiality, South Asia, and social theory. He is affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Program in Anthropology and History and Program in Science, Technology and Society.