Patricia Spyer

Patricia Spyer is a Professor of Anthropology & Sociology at The Graduate Institute Geneva since 2016. She holds affiliate positions at the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy. Her expertise spans cultural anthropology of Indonesia, visual media studies, and material culture. She has held prestigious roles including Chair of Cultural Anthropology at Leiden University (2001–2015) and Global Distinguished Professor at NYU (2009–2012). Her research focuses on violence, visuality, religion, and urban-rural dynamics in Southeast Asia.

Education: PhD in Anthropology from the University of Chicago. Earlier positions included Visiting Fellowships at ANU (2014), NYU Shanghai (2017), and Cambridge University (2020).

Research interests include:

• Visual anthropology and media representations
• Conflict dynamics and post-war societies
• Religion-politics intersections
• Urban and rural sociocultural landscapes

Her publications include Orphaned Landscapes: Violence, Visuality, and Appearance in Indonesia (2021), The Memory of Trade (2000), and co-edited volumes like Images That Move (2013) and Handbook of Material Culture (2013).

Editorial roles: Vice-chair of the Prince Claus Fund, member of Wenner-Gren Foundation Advisory Council, and editorial boards for Annual Review of Anthropology and Positions: Asia Critique.

Her work bridges academic research with public engagement through museum collaborations and policy advisory roles.