Dr. Lawrence Cohen

Biography

Lawrence Cohen is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, with a secondary appointment in the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies. His research primarily focuses on social and cultural anthropology, particularly in the realms of medical and psychiatric anthropology, critical gerontology, and feminist queer theory. Cohen’s current work involves the exploration of kinship networks through genealogical platforms, investigating how these relationships are influenced by digital and genetic concepts of relatedness. His fieldwork has been concentrated in urban North India, specifically in cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai, where he examines the intersections of memory, identity, and care within contexts of aging and health. Throughout his career, he has engaged with a wide array of topics including the representation of aging in contemporary India, the socio-political influences on medical practices, and the impacts of surveillance capitalism on social life. He has held prominent roles in intertwining medical anthropology with broader social science discourses and has served as the director of the Institute for South Asia Studies at UC Berkeley. Cohen is also a noted author of numerous publications exploring these themes, including the influential book 'Aging India: Alzheimer's, Bad Family Modern Thing.'

Research Interests