Pilar Rau

Pilar Rau serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Rutgers University's School of Arts and Sciences, specializing in visual anthropology, art aesthetics, economic anthropology, and religious studies with regional expertise in Latin America and the Andes.

Her academic foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, New York University (2013)
• M.Phil. in Socio-cultural Anthropology, New York University (2010)
• Graduate Certificate in Culture and Media, New York University (2005)
• M.A. in Intercultural Communication, University of Maryland Baltimore County (2001)
• B.A. magna cum laude in Modern Languages, Art History, and Studio Art, University of Maryland Baltimore County (1996)
• Intensive Quechua Language training, Centro Tinku & Colegio Andino, Cusco (2007)

Rau's research centers on indigenous aesthetic economies in neoliberal contexts, examining how Andean communities navigate globalization through tourist art production, Pentecostal conversion, and digital media adoption. Her dissertation Aesthetics and Sacrifice documents how Peruvian artisans deploy reciprocity principles in global capitalism, while current work analyzes indigenous media consumption amid neoliberal reforms. She argues these practices maintain cultural continuity through ritualized economic exchanges.

Her scholarly output reveals consistent focus on visual methodologies across Andean art economies, religious transformation, and indigenous media sovereignty, frequently employing collaborative filmmaking to document colonial murals and performance traditions.

Key recognitions include:

• Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Research Fellowship (2007-2008)
• Wenner-Gren Foundation Individual Research Grant (2007-2008)
• Tinker Foundation Field Research Grant (2005)
• Henry M. MacCracken Fellowship, NYU (2002-2011)

Rau's fieldwork has been sustained through competitive grants enabling extensive Peruvian research and Cornell University collaborations. She teaches core anthropology courses including Visual Ethnography of Everyday Life while mentoring students through undergraduate instruction. Her media production work—serving as director, camera operator, and editor for indigenous documentaries—demonstrates applied anthropological engagement beyond traditional academia.