Sociology & Anthropology

Unsolicited calls, door-to-door pitches, and mailers from retail electricity suppliers put Pennsylvania consumers in a tough spot — and new research suggests the decision to switch often isn't in their favor. A multidisciplinary team led by Samantha Fox, assistant professor of anthropology at Lehigh University, is studying the equity, justice, and efficiency effects of retail electric deregulation across the Lehigh Valley and several small Ohio cities. The project unites researchers from Lehigh's College of Arts and Sciences and Ohio State's John Glenn College of Public Affairs to examine how deregulated energy markets affect everyday consumers.

How Cultural Ideas About Mental Health Shape Public Understanding

Jessica Peng's book sheds light on Indonesia's revitalization of the vocational education system and how it’s shaping policy and the economy.

Aurora Bertoldo ‘25 conducts research in Mongolia and solidifies her passion for geology

Julia Klayman ‘25 employs ethnographic research and community engagement to investigate the impact of landslides on women, uncovering the complex intersection of gender and health in Bududa

Bruce Whitehouse studies polygamy in Mali for a decade and publishes a book on why it has endured in West Africa.

Xavier Piccone ’24 studies an energy infrastructure and its impact on political and economic systems.

A trip to Jordan brings insight into archaeology.

Samantha Fox's research focuses on the urban renewal of Eisenhüttenstadt, a German city constructed and shaped by socialist ideals in the 1950s.

David Casagrande, professor of anthropology, is examining how residents in flood-prone communities perceive the problem, and the solution. Interviews with stakeholders in the Midwest and in Maryland, show that while risk is perceived differently by a range of individuals, a change of heart and minds may be needed, because of increasing flooding.