Paul Silverstein

Paul Silverstein is a Professor of Anthropology at Reed College, affiliated with the Division of History and Social Sciences. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and has been at Reed since 2000. His research focuses on North Africa and its diaspora, particularly Amazigh/Berber ethno-politics, postcolonial France, and racialized citizenship. He chairs the board of directors of the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP).

His education includes a PhD in anthropology from the University of Chicago. Key research areas include transnational activism, the politics of cultural heritage, and the intersection of race, Islam, and nationhood in postcolonial contexts. Recent work explores Berber political movements in Morocco and immigrant labor history in post-war European coal mines.

His publications analyze colonial legacies, including works on Pierre Bourdieu’s ethnography in Algeria, football’s role in postcolonial identity, and Mediterranean anthropology. He critiques contemporary racial formations in France through studies of urban marginalization and Islamophobia.

• Awards: None explicitly mentioned in texts
• Grants/Advising: Ongoing ethnographic fieldwork in Morocco supported by institutional affiliations; no formal advisees listed
• Labs/Teams: Leads MERIP board; collaborates with global anthropological networks