Micah M. Trapp

Dr. Micah M. Trapp is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Memphis. His research focuses on the intersections of capitalism, food systems, and social equity, with a particular emphasis on humanitarian aid, taste anthropology, and refugee migration. He holds a Ph.D. from American University (2011).

Dr. Trapp's work spans global and local contexts, including fieldwork in Liberian refugee camps in Ghana and studies of U.S. food policies like the National School Lunch Program. He investigates how taste, value, and power shape food distribution systems, challenging conventional frameworks of humanitarian aid and economic equity.

His research has been supported by grants from the NSF, University of Memphis, and USAID. Awards include the 2017-2018 Faculty Research Grant for his school lunch entitlement project and a 2009 NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant.

Teaching interests include courses on cultural anthropology, human rights, food politics, and ethnographic methods. He collaborates with organizations like GrowMemphis to bridge academic research with community food initiatives.