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Ana Carolina (Carol) Balthazar is a lecturer in Public Anthropology at University College London. Her research interests focus on intersections of ethics, emotions, and material culture, shaping human experience and the commitment to advancing anthropology within academia. Her work emphasizes understanding the concepts of 'right' and 'wrong', and strives to promote ethical living. Over the past decade, she has conducted ethnographic research in the coastal areas of South East England. Her research argues that approaching local nationalism as an ethical project helps move beyond political stereotypes, allowing for a deeper understanding of how individuals negotiate moral values and produce distinct temporal experiences of place. Balthazar has delved into the emotional processes that shape human action, particularly the powerful moral emotion of shame, which is intensely personal yet shaped by social norms and has significant political implications. She views the study of shame as an opportunity for interdisciplinary dialogue, which holds the potential to enrich public debates on the politics of morality. Additionally, she has focused her research on material culture and consumption, exploring how individuals construct their sense of self through their relationships with objects. Her ethnographic fieldwork on material culture consumption spans the UK and Brazil, where her original research on consumer behavior has allowed her to consult with businesses and apply anthropological methods to offer critical perspectives. These experiences have reinforced her interest in collaborative projects that extend anthropology beyond academia into broader public and professional spheres.