Dr. Liisa Malkki

Biography

Liisa H. Malkki is an Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University with a primary focus on anthropological explorations of political violence, nationalism, and humanitarian aid. Her research delves into the social production of historical memory and explores how political violence and displacement can transform historical consciousness and national identity among displaced populations. One of her notable projects examined the experiences of Hutu refugees in Tanzania, culminating in the publication 'Purity in Exile: Violence, Memory, National Cosmology of Hutu Refugees in Tanzania' by the University of Chicago Press in 1995. Malkki's recent work includes the co-authored book 'Improvising Theory: Process, Temporality, Ethnographic Fieldwork', also published by the University of Chicago Press in 2007. As an academic, her significant contributions extend to understanding the complexities of humanitarian interventions and internationalism, focusing on the evolving roles of institutions such as the Finnish Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross in contemporary humanitarian work.

Research Interests

Courses