Talks
Upcoming:
On March 25, 2025, I’ll I’ll give a hybrid talk at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, NM.

Live/in person, and live-streamed.
Cost: Free.
Sign up for either modality here: https://sarweb.org/date/crypto-jews-of-new-mexico-and-cape-verde/

Recent:
On Oct. 26, 2024, I presented the Keynote Talk on “New Mexico’s Crypto-Jews and Cape Vedeans with Jewish Heritage: Distant Cousins?” at the Annual Conference of the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society (Las Vegas, NM).

On Sept. 15, 2024, I moderated a conversation on “Christian Nationalism: Origins and Implications” with Diane Winston and Ron Duncan Hart” for the Santa Fe Distinguished Lecture Series; the event was re-linked on the New Mexico Jewish Journal, here. Listen here.

On Feb. 4, 2024, I interviewed Ethan Katz on “Anti-Semitism on U.S. Campuses” for the Santa Fe Distinguished Lecture Series. Listen here

On November 26, 2022, I presented a talk (online), “Resilience in Rhode Island: Cape Verdeans Coping Creatively with the COVID-19 Crisis,” to the International Conference on “Cities, Immigrants and Ethnic Groups,” School of Ethnology and Sociology/Institute of Global Ethnology and Anthropology, Minzu University of China (Beijing), in a session chaired by J. Lorand Matory on “The Social Status and Identity Reconstruction of Migrants”.

On Nov. 11, 2022, I presented a talk, “Teaching American Birth as a Rite of Passage over 30 Years,” at the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Seattle.
On Nov. 10, 2022, I presented a talk, “‘I Dream of Cabo Verde Every Night Now:’ Reflections from Writers in the Diaspora,” at the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Society (in an Executive Session) in Seattle.
On Nov. 6, 2022, I presented a talk — “Across the Seder Table: The Jews of Cape Verde” — for the Santa Fe Distinguished Lecture Series, as a live online conversation with Ron Hart with a live online Q/A.
No fee, thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Doris Francis-Erhard, in honor of the memory of Louis Erhard.
On April 25, 2022, I presented a talk on “Africa across the Seder Table” for the Santa Fe Distinguished Lecture Series. The lecture now lives online at the Jewish Learning Channel in two parts.
Part 1 — “Jewish History of Cape Verde” — is here.
Part 2 — “Judaism and Cabo Verdeans Today” — is here.
In November 2021, I presented several talks virtually at the (hybrid-format) 120th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in November (17-21, 2021).

Wed., Nov. 17th — 12 noon – 1:45 pm:
Session: “Challenging the Typical Menstrual Experience: Inter-subdisciplinary Approaches to the Anthropology of Menstruation”
I chaired this session, an online-only Roundtable, oganized by Maura Stephens-Chu.
Wed., Nov. 17th — 2:15 – 4:00 pm:
Session: “Kinship Obligations in Reverse I: Relationship Dramas“ organized by Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg
My talk: “Ruptured Families, Reconstructed Lives: Women’s Stories from Cape Verde“
Wed., Nov. 17th — 4:30 – 6:15 pm:
Session: “Kinship Obligations in Reverse II: Conflicts Over Care“
I chaired this session, organized by Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg.
Fri., Nov. 19th — 2:00 – 3:45 pm:
Session: “The Responsibility to Reciprocate: Compensation and Collaboration in Fieldwork Encounters“
I served as Discussant in this session (along with Carolyn Rouse), which was organized by Michelle C. Johnson and Edmund Q. Searles.
On October 28, 2021, I presented a (virtual) talk, “What’s Wrong with Attachment Theory? Perspectives from the West African Rain Forest,” to Mamada: Science-Based Parenting (Israel).
On May 25, 2021, I presented a (virtual) talk, “Global Perspectives on Sustainable Menstrual Experience,” for the online conference, “Greening the Red: A Summit on Sustainable Menstruation.
On Feb. 3, 2021, I presented a (virtual) talk, “Where Have All the Babies Gone? An Anthropology of Child Development,” to the Children & Childhood Research Seminar at Manchester Metropolitan University. Video file available here.


- On Nov. 7, 2020, I conducted an online conversation with Sophia Balakian on “A Childcare Crisis—What the Pandemic Reveals: A Conversation with Alma Gottlieb,” at the (virtual) 119th Annual Meeting, American Anthropological Association.
- On March 12, 2020, I presented a joint, online reading and talk (via Zoom) with Philip Graham on “Braiding Worlds” for the “Snug Harbor” reading series in Brussels, on April 9th (rescheduled from March 12th, 2020).

- On March 5, 2020, I presented a talk on “Negotiating with History: Cape Verdeans in Conversation with Their Jewish Ancestry” at the Centre for History Research (in Anfiteatro 4), University of Lisbon (Portugal).

- On Nov. 22, 2019, I presented a talk on “Negotiating Afro-Jewish Identity in the Cabo Verdean Diaspora,” 62nd Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (Boston), November 22, 2019.
- On May 19, 2019, I presented a talk on “What’s in a Name? A Case Study of (Re)discovering Jewish Identity on (and off) an Unlikely African Archipelago,” New York Jewish Genealogical Society (Center for Jewish History/American Sephardi Foundation).

Online announcements of the talk here and here.
- On May 21, 2019, I presented a talk, “Pour une Anthropologie de « l’Instinct maternel » ” [“Toward an Anthropology of the ‘Maternal Instinct'”], University of Lausanne (Switzerland).
- On April 4, 2019, I presented a guest lecture (with Philip Graham), on “Mad to Be Modern” (from Braided Worlds) at Pomona College (Claremont, CA), in “Culture and Mental Health” (Prof. Tobias Hecht).
- On April 3, 2019, I presented a guest lecture on The Afterlife is where We Come from at Pomona College (Claremont, CA), in “Intro. to Cult. Anth.” (Prof. Tobias Hecht).
- On April 3, 2019, I presented a talk at Pitzer College (Claremont, CA) on “An Anthropological Perspective on the ‘Maternal Instinct,'” April 3, 2019.
- On April 2, 2019, I presented a guest lecture on “Ethical Issues in Ethnographic Fieldwork” at Pitzer College (Claremont, CA), in “Field Methods in Anthropology” (ANTH 105) (Prof. Claudia Strauss.
- On March 14, 2019, I presented a talk on “A Woman I Admire: Margaret Mead,” to the World Affairs Council of Rhode Island (Providence, RI).
- On Oct. 10, 2018, I presented a talk on “Grad Student-Moms: Challenges, Strategies,” to the Brown University Grad Student Parents Group (Providence, RI).
- On Sept. 27, 2018, I presented a talk on “Africa across the Seder Table,” New Mexico Jewish Historical Society (Temple Beth Shalom, Santa Fe).
- On June 28, 2018, I presented a talk on “Cape Verdeans with Jewish Heritage: Stories of Long Ago and Today” at the Uphams Corner Branch Public Library in Dorchester (Boston), MA.
- On June 4, 2018, I presented a lecture on “Anthropological Writing for a Broad Readership” at Sofia University (Bulgaria).
- On April 6, 2018, I presented a lecture on “The New Childhood Studies: Reflections on Some Recent Collaborations between Anthropologists and Psychologists” at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guanghzou (China).
- On April 6, 2018, I guest-lectured (via Skype) about The Afterlife is Where We Come From
for “ANTH002 PO – Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology” class taught by Dr. Tobias Hecht at Pomona College in Claremont, CA. - On January 21, 2018, I presented a talk (with Joel Schwartz and Gershom Barros) on “Cape Verdeans with Jewish Ancestry” at Temple Emanuel, in Newton Centre, MA.
- On November 18, 2017, I was a panelist in a workshop at PERIOD CON–The world’s first youth activism conference about menstruation–Brought to you by PERIOD. The Menstrual Movement. Our workshop focused on de-stigmatizing menstruation in New York City (RAMSCALE STUDIO/463 West Street Penthouse/New York, NY 10014).
- On December 1, 2017, I presented a talk on “Family Matters: Re-Examining Children in Anthropological Fieldwork and Careers” at the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Washington, D.C.
- On October 25, 2017, I presented a keynote talk on “The Afterlives of Babies: A View from West Africa” to the Penn Humanities Forum at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.
- On October 6, 2017, I presented a talk (with Philip Graham) about Braided Worlds to the “ANTH 300/Reading Ethnographies” class (taught by Prof. Jessica Skolnikoff) at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI.
- On Sept. 25, 2017, I guest-lectured about The Afterlife is Where We Come for EDUC 1360 – “Empire, Childhood, and Youth”, a class taught by Dr. Rachel Kantrowitz at Brown University in Providence RI.
- On Sept. 7, 2017, I guest-lectured (via Skype) about The Afterlife is Where We Come From
for “ANTH002 PO – Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology,” a class taught by Dr. Tobias Hecht at Pomona College in Claremont, CA. - On March 22, 2017, I presented a talk, “Child Development and Gender Roles across Cultures,” at the New Canaan Public Library (151 Main Street, New Canaan, CT 06854). The talk was part of the “One Book New Canaan” series. The spring book series is dedicated to examining the novel, Euphoria, by Lily King, which is roughly modeled on a brief period in the life of Margaret Mead. (You can read my comments on the novel here.)
- On March 9, 2017, I presented a talk, “Raising a World of Babies; or, Promoting the Lessons of Ethnography Creatively in the Age of Trump,” at the University of Illinois/Dept. of Anthropology in Urbana, IL.
- On March 7, 2017, I presented a talk on “Women, Motherhood, and Power: What it takes to Empower the World’s Mothers” at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL.
- On Nov. 18, 2016, I presented a talk on “Raising a World of Babies; or, Ethnography via Parody” at the 115th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Minneapolis.
- On June 25, 2016, I presented a talk on “Passover, Crioulo Style: Reflections on a Joint Seder among Cape Verdeans and Jews in Boston” at the Second Annual Conference on Cape Verdean Studies, organized by the Pedro Pires Institute/Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, MA.

- On April 3–8, 2016, I presented an invited talk on “Cultural Evidence for Different Conceptions of Attachment” at the Ernst Strüngmann Forum on “Contextualizing Attachment: The Cultural Nature of Attachment,” Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies in Frankfurt (Germany).
- On April 21, 2016, I presented the Getlin Lecture on “Crossing Religious Borders: Jews and Cape Verde” to the Dept. of Anthropology and the Dept. of Religious Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, CT.
- On Dec. 16, 2015, I presented an invited talk (with Philip Graham) on “Tasting Culture, Writing Rhythm, Dreaming Worlds: Where Literature and Anthropology Meet, in Parallel Worlds and Braided Worlds” to the African Studies Research Centre at University College London (London), 5:30-7 pm, in the IAS Common Ground Room.
- On Nov. 18-22, 2015, I presented a talk on “Migrations between the Religious Strange and the Religious Familiar: Contemporary Cape Verdeans’ Explorations of Their Jewish Roots” at the 114th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Denver.
- On Nov. 6, 2015, I presented an invited talk on “Crossing Religious Boundaries: Jewish Cabo Verdeans?” to the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford in Oxford, U.K.
You can listen to the talk here.
- On Nov. 10-11, 2015, I presented an invited talk on “Jewish Cape Verdeans? Perspectives on a Changing Diasporic Identity” at the 3rd Annual International Conference on “The Surge of Judaism across Africa, the African Diaspora and Asia in the Twenty-first Century” at the Museum of Jewish History and Art, Paris (France).
- On Oct. 20-23, 2015, I presented a talk (with Nicole Tami) on “Can Single Mothers Get through Graduate School? Mentoring ‘Private’ Challenges into Public Successes,” at the 8th Annual Conference on Mentoring, University of New Mexico/The Mentoring Institute in Albuquerque, NM.

- On June 12, 2015, I presented a talk on “Jewish Cape Verdeans? Putting African Studies and Jewish Studies into Conversation” at the 1st International Conference on Cape Verdean Studies, Bridgewater State University/Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies in Bridgewater, MA.
- On May 13, 2015, I presented a talk on “Crossing Afro-Religious Borders: Jewish Cape Verdeans” to the Red Lion Seminar, organized jointly by the African Studies programs of Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.
- On March 13, 2015, I presented a talk on “Cape Verdeans with Jewish Ancestry, and the Current Moment in Anthropology” to the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (London).
- On March 3, 2015, I guest-taught a course on “Anthropological Theory” (Prof. David McConnell) at the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH.
- On March 3, 2015, I guest-taught course on “Shamanism and Healing” (Prof. Pam Frese) at the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH.
- On March 2, 2015, I presented a lecture on “Deconstructing the Notion of ‘Education’: A View from the West African Rain Forest” as the biennial community-wide, endowed Stieglitz Memorial Lecture at the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH.
- On March 2, 2015, I guest-taught course on “Doing Feminist Research: Theory and Practice” (Prof. Debotri Dhar) at the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH.
- On Feb. 20, 2015, I presented a talk on “Jewish Cape Verdeans? Putting Jewish Studies and African Studies into Conversation” at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Society for Cross-Cultural Research in Albuquerque, NM.
- On Dec. 5, 2014, I presented a talk on “Crossing Religious Borders: Jews and Cabo Verdeans” at the 113th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Washington, D.C.
- On Dec. 5, 2014, I was a discussant for a session on “Fieldwork at the End of the Day” (organizer: Susan Kenyon), an invited session of the Association of Senior Anthropologists, at the 113th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Washington, D.C.
- On Nov. 17, 2014, I was a discussant for a talk presented by Bruno Nettl on “Remarks on the Diaspora of Musicology,” Conference on “Music, Jews & Globalization,” at the Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL.
- On Oct. 25, 2014, I presented a talk on “Passover, African Style: (Re-)Exploring History, (Re-) Forging Identity at a Joint Seder among Cape Verdeans and Jews in Boston” at the 9th Annual Meeting of the American Portuguese Studies Association in Albuquerque, NM.
- On Sept. 17, 2014, I presented a talk on “Crossing Afro-Religious Borders: Jewish Cape Verdeans” to the Center for African Studies, University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, IL.
- On March 12, 2010, I presented a talk on “First Acts of Violence: Reflections on Breastfeeding and Enemas in West Africa” at a conference on Childhood and Violence: International and Comparative Perspectives, Economic and Social Research Council Seminar Series (Birkbeck College) in London. You can listen here.