Jason De León
We are pleased to announce Jason De León as the keynote speaker for our 2025 Annual Meeting. De León is the Lloyd E. Cotsen Endowed Chair of Archaeology, Professor of Anthropology and Chicana, Chicano, and Central American Studies, and Director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also Executive Director of the Undocumented Migration Project, a non-profit research, arts, and education collective that seeks to raise awareness about migration issues globally. He is a 2017 MacArthur Foundation Fellow and author of the award-winning book “The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail.” De Leon’s latest book “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” won the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction.
Title: On the Nature of Anthropological Empathy: Some Reflections on Why We Do What We Do
Date & Time: Thursday, November 20 | 6:00 – 7:30 PM CT
Abstract: Early in his career De León realized he came to anthropology primarily because of intellectual curiosity. Close to twenty years of field research has demonstrated that his rationale for seeking to understand the experiences of other people comes from a much deeper and personal place. In this keynote, De León will examine the complicated history of empathy in anthropological research and its renewed importance in our troubled world. He will also discuss his journey to use anthropology to help overcome trauma and build connections to others.
