Sylvia Yanagisako

Professor Sylvia Yanagisako is the Centennial Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics (LSE), having joined in 2023 after serving as the Edward Clark Crossett Professor of Humanistic Studies and Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University. Her work focuses on kinship, gender, and capitalism, with notable contributions to transnational capitalism studies and family firms in Italy. She holds expertise in Italy, the U.S., and interdisciplinary analyses of cultural and economic systems.

Her research combines ethnographic approaches with critical theory, including studies of global fashion joint ventures (Italy-China collaborations) and family enterprises. She has authored/co-authored influential books such as Fabricating Transnational Capitalism (2019), Producing Culture and Capital (2002), and edited volumes like Unwrapping the Sacred Bundle (2005). Her work critiques anthropological methodologies and explores intersections of gender, power, and cultural production.

Proficient in English and Italian, she has held leadership roles in academic institutions and contributed to debates on disciplinary frameworks in anthropology. Her current position at LSE reflects her status as a leading figure in global social theory and ethnographic research.