Dr. Laura Nelson

Biography

Laura C. Nelson is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair in the Gender Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her PhD in Anthropology from Stanford University and holds a Master’s degree in City Regional Planning from UC Berkeley, focusing on housing and community economic development. Her current research project investigates breast cancer as a transnational phenomenon in South Korea, examining the medical, cultural, personal, environmental, and political aspects involved. Additionally, she is exploring policies concerning immigrant children and brides in South Korea. Nelson's notable publication, 'Measured Excess: Status, Gender, Consumer Nationalism in South Korea' (Columbia University Press, 2000), utilizes ethnographic media materials to investigate how institutions have influenced consumer culture and national goals from 1960 to 1997, particularly focusing on women's responses to social and political conditions. Joining the GWS faculty in 2013, Laura previously spent eleven years in the Anthropology Department at California State University, East Bay, where she served as chair from 2008 to 2013. Her career also includes experiences in applied anthropology, public policy evaluation, microenterprise development, and building employment linkages in underserved communities.

Research Interests