Sabra Thorner

Sabra Thorner is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Mount Holyoke College, where she is jointly affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Department of Film, Media, and Theater. She chairs two interdisciplinary initiatives: the Nexus in Museums, Archives, and Public History and the Nexus in Native American and Indigenous Studies, reflecting her commitment to collaborative, decolonial scholarship.

Education:

• Ph.D., Anthropology, New York University (2013)
• Advanced Certificate in Culture & Media, NYU (2007)
• M.A., Australian Studies, University of Melbourne (2003)
• B.A., Sociology, Georgetown University (2000)

Sabra Thorner is a cultural anthropologist whose research centers on visual and media anthropology, particularly in the context of Indigenous Australia. Her work explores digital media, photography, and archival practices as tools for cultural production, activism, and self-representation. She investigates how Indigenous communities engage with museums, heritage regimes, and digital platforms to assert sovereignty and revitalize cultural knowledge. Her teaching includes courses such as Decolonizing Museums, Anthropology of Media, and Ethnographic Film, which integrate theory with hands-on, community-engaged learning.

Her recent publications reveal a strong thematic focus on Indigenous media, living archives, museum decolonization, and collaborative art practices. These works often emphasize community agency, ethical representation, and the transformative potential of visual and digital media in cultural revitalization.

Honors and Fellowships:

• Mellon New Directions Fellowship (2023–2026)
• Faculty Fellowship, Mount Holyoke College (2022–2023)

Sabra Thorner has secured competitive grants including the Mellon New Directions Fellowship and partnerships with the Australian Research Council. She collaborates on projects that support Indigenous artists and integrate community-based pedagogy. She has hosted public events such as Ancestral Memories: Artists in Conversation and co-led gallery talks on the afterlives of museum objects, demonstrating her commitment to public scholarship. Her current projects include a monograph on Indigenous photography in Australia and an edited volume on Aboriginal arts revitalization.

She is actively involved in interdisciplinary research teams and initiatives across the Five Colleges consortium, particularly through the NAIS/Mellon Foundation's 'Gathering at the Crossroads' project. Her work bridges academic research, public engagement, and artistic collaboration, especially with Indigenous Australian communities.