Dr. Alexander Fattal

Associate Professor

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Biography

Alexander Fattal is an Associate Professor whose scholarly and creative work focuses on the Colombian armed conflict and the efforts to forge a violent future in the Andean nation. His work engages traditional academic publications, community-based photography, and experimental nonfiction filmmaking. He is interested in the intersections of spectacle, capitalism, ethnographic theory, and Latin American cinema. His notable book, 'Guerrilla Marketing: Counterinsurgency Capitalism in Colombia', chronicles the Colombian military's tactics to lure rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN). His film work includes 'Limbo', which delves into the life of a FARC deserter, and 'Shooting Cameras for Peace', a bilingual photo-ethnography that examines youth engagement in media amidst conflict. Fattal has received accolades for his contributions, including awards from the American Ethnological Association and the International Communication Association. He also supports media arts through his involvement with the AjA Project, aiding immigrant and refugee youth.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

— Present

University of California, San Diego • La Jolla, California

Teaching and researching visual anthropology, media practices, and the intersections of conflict and representation.

Assistant Professor

— Present

Penn State University • University Park, Pennsylvania

Focused on anthropological and media studies with an emphasis on Latin America.

Postdoctoral Fellow

— Present

Harvard University, Mahindra Humanities Center • Cambridge, Massachusetts

Engaged in research and teaching related to visual culture and anthropology.

Awards

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Sharon Stephens Biennial Book Prize

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Global Communication and Social Change Division Book Award

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LASA/Oxfam America Martin Diskin Dissertation Award

Requirements for University of California, San Diego

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:85
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:120
Overall
Required:120
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in physical, biological, or earth sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Differential and integral calculus. One year of calculus-based physics with laboratory. One year of chemistry with laboratory.
Application Checklist
  • Statement of Purpose (max 2 pages)
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Application fee ($135 domestic / $155 international)
Specialization Notes

Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).