Dr. João Biehl

Biography

João Biehl is the Susan Dod Brown Professor and Chair of Anthropology at Princeton University as well as the Director of the Brazil LAB at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS). His ethnographic work explores the intersections of science and technology in laboratories, markets, and health policies within the Global South, with a particular focus on the pharmaceuticalization of care and the judicialization of the right to health. His research emphasizes medical and political anthropology, investigating issues such as human rights, social environmental justice, and the cultural dynamics of Latin American societies, especially in Brazil and the Amazon. Biehl is a celebrated author, known for award-winning books such as "Vita: Life Zone of Social Abandonment" and "Live: AIDS Therapies and the Politics of Survival," which examine the experiences of treatment for mental illnesses and AIDS in the context of globalization. He has received numerous accolades for his work, including the J. Staley Prize and the Margaret Mead Award. Biehl's research is funded by prestigious organizations and he is deeply committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and public outreach in his field. He actively supports efforts to indigenize academia at Princeton, focusing on the history of anthropology and Indigenous scholarship. His current projects include a collaborative research initiative aimed at integrating Indigenous principles into conservation practices.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards