Dr. Mike Mcgovern

Biography

Mike McGovern is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology specializing in sociocultural anthropology. His research examines political themes, including the frictions of Pan-Africanism and Socialism. He explores the aspirations of kinship discourse, the dynamics of popular music, and the impact of violent street protests, as well as the afterlives of revolutionary speech practices. He has authored three significant works: 'Making War in Côte d'Ivoire,' 'Unmasking the State,' and 'Socialist Peace? Explaining the Absence of War in a West African Country.' His current projects include a comparative book that investigates the structure of resentment as a total social fact. McGovern has extensive field experience in francophone West Africa since 1989 and began research in Myanmar in 2016. He supervises students on various topics from micropolitics to aesthetics in dance troupes within postsocialist contexts and everyday interreligious relations in Myanmar and Thailand. In addition to his academic roles, he serves as the director at an organization focused on conflict mitigation, the International Crisis Group, and is dedicated to fostering conversations that connect anthropology with practical applications. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Culture, History, and Theory from Emory University and degrees from the University of Oxford and Columbia University.

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