Wesbrook Prize Winners

The Department of Anthropology awards the Mary E. Wesbrook prize annually for an outstanding student thesis. This prize was established by Margaret Wesbrook to honor her sister, Mary, the department's administrative assistant for thirty years.

2020

Zoe Brown '20
"Built, Felt, Lived: Healing within North American Spaces of Retreat"

Nathaniel Gallagher '20
"The Blackpill and the Suffering Apparatus: Science, Masculinity, and Race as Represented on Involuntary Celibate (INCEL) Virtual Forums"
Watch Nate's Video Here

2018

Sumita M. Strander ’18
"Lost in Translation: The “Good Enough” and Sevā in Dementia Care for Indian Elders"

2017

No theses were submitted

2016

Andrés Mejía-Ramón '16
"The Paleohydrology of the Teotihuacan Valley: A Multi-Method Approach in the Prospection of Subsurface Hydraulic Features in Teotihuacan, Mexico"

2015

Lindsey Y. Lam '15
“Just Child’s Play? Children’s Games and Play in Huaycán, Peru”

2014

D. August Oddleifson '13
"Chronic lllness and Identity Formation: A Study of Cystic Fibrosis."

2013

Sarah E. Cashdollar
"Sex, Babies, and Identity: Hispanic Teen Pregnancy as Identity Negotiation in Doña Ana County, New Mexico"

Jacqueline M. Waugh
"Women are Our Leaders: The Role of Language, Persuasion and Narratives in Iran"

2012

Jennifer L. Koester '12
"Voluntourism: Mediating Interactions with the 'Other'"

2011

Liana Chase '11
"Coping, Healing, and Resilience: A Case Study of Bhutanese Refugees Living in Vermont"

Cameron Nutt '11
"Growing Up with HIV in Urban Tanzania: An Ethnographic Study of Children’s Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy"

2010

Rachael Kandath '10
"Anatomy of the Facial Musculature in Two Diurnal Anthropoid Primates: Exploring the Relationship Between Facial Mobility and the Muscles of Facial Expression"

Natalie Young '10
"Maintaining Boundaries, Maintaining Inequality: The "Tulane Bubble" Experience of New Orleans"

2009

Robin Uhle '09
"The Lantern Festival: Illuminating the Question of Japanese Religion." (Thesis)

2008

Adam M. Levine ’08
“The Present of the Past: An Ethnography of Antiquities Collectors.” (Thesis)

2007

Jacob A. Appelbaum ’07
“Transforming Culture in a Modern World: Local Agency and Change in Tokelau.” (Thesis)

2006

Alexandra Y. Spielhagen ’06
"Reclaiming Č’ixwcən: Contesting Burial Rights in the Pacific Northwest.”

2005

M. Chloe Mulderig ’05
"Redefining 'Tradition' as a Dynamic Force: Challenges Facing the Tourist Industry in the Medina of Fès, Morocco"

2004

Tate LeFevre ’04
"Seizing Identity, Manipulating Globalization: Vindicating Indigenous Culture Locally While Exporting It Globally in Lifou, New Caledonia"

William F.P. Reynolds ’04
"The Role of a Specialized Pastoral Economy in Early Political Developments in Yemen"

2003

Marina Kwai Shan Ma ’03
"Examining Prehispanic Ceramic Exchange in the Basin of Mexico: A Chemical Source Analysis from Azcapotzalco"

2002

Shannon C. Stoval '02
"Rethinking Occupational Stress Markers: A Case Study from Bronze Age Tell Abraq, United Arab Emirates"

2001

Jeffrey A. Kahn '01
"Pilgrimage and Vodou: Rituals of Renegotiation and Reaffirmation in Northern Haiti"

2000

Rachel C. Fleming '00
"The Future of "Tradition:" The Influence of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann on Traditional Music and Irish National Identity"

1999

Kristin Sullivan '98
"Daily Life in the City of the Gods: Household Funerary Analysis of Two Site at Teotihuacan"