معرفی
Professor Rebecca Empson is a distinguished anthropologist at University College London (UCL), where she serves as Professor of Anthropology, Head of Social Anthropology, and Director of Research. With a background in multi-lingual West London and Froebel education, she earned her undergraduate degree at LSE (1994-1997) followed by a PhD at Cambridge University (1998-2003) under Professor Caroline Humphrey.
Her academic journey includes three consecutive postdoctoral positions at Cambridge funded by the British Academy and Leverhulme Foundation before joining UCL Anthropology in 2009. Professor Empson currently leads significant research initiatives including her ERC Consolidatory Grant project on Mongolia's extractive mineral economy and future research exploring political communities formed through interactions with the Baltic Sea.
Professor Empson's research interests span multiple interconnected domains:
- Economic anthropology with focus on Mongolia's extractive industries and financial systems
- Memory studies and historical consciousness in post-socialist contexts
- Material culture and the anthropology of objects
- Personhood, kinship, and rebirth practices
- Political communities and environmental negotiations
- Capitalism studies and alternative economic formations
Her scholarly output reveals consistent engagement with Mongolia's social transformations, particularly examining how people navigate economic crises through innovative forms of care, resource management, and political community formation. Recent work increasingly addresses comparative environmental politics, connecting Mongolia's extractive landscapes with Europe's polluted seas.
Professor Empson's significant contributions have been recognized through:
- European Research Council Consolidatory Grant
- Malinowski Lecture invitation (2014)
- White Cube Gallery award nomination for collaborative exhibition
As an educator, Professor Empson has supervised numerous PhD students and developed innovative courses including the anthropology of capitalisms. She serves in multiple editorial and advisory capacities including as Book Series Editor for 'Economic Exposure in Asia' at UCL & University of Chicago Press, and on advisory boards for several international research projects. Her collaborative approach extends across disciplines, bringing together scholars, artists, activists and practitioners in fieldwork, writing, and public debate.
