Dr. Yael Navaro

Professor

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Biography

Yael Navaro is a social anthropologist specializing in politics, the aftermath of political violence, and the spatial materiality of postwar environments. Her ethnographic research has focused on the social and political life of Turkey and Cyprus, with a commitment to studying the effects of mass violence in everyday life. Navaro has conducted long-term fieldwork in Istanbul and Antakya, exploring themes such as representation and erasure in the context of ethnographic archival research. Navaro holds a BA in Sociology from Brandeis University (1991) and both an MA (1993) and PhD (1998) in Anthropology from Princeton University. She has served as a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and has been teaching at the University of Cambridge since 1999, currently as a Professor of Social, Political, and Psychological Anthropology and a Fellow at Newnham College. Her notable works include 'Faces of the State: Secularism and Public Life in Turkey' and 'Make-Believe Space: Affective Geography of a Postwar Polity'. She was the Principal Investigator for an ERC project exploring the 'remnants' of mass violence and has published extensively on the intersections of violence, memory, and spatial politics.

Research Interests

Anthropology of Politics Ethnography of the State Political Violence Political Geography Borders and Border Practices Legal and Documentary Practices Bureaucracy and Administration Postwar Environments and Ruination Affect and Subjectivity History and Memory Minorities and Minoritization Practices Inter-communal Relations Spiritual Practices and Relations with Spiritual Entities Secularism and Islamism Anthropological Social and Political Theory Anthropology of the Middle East Anthropology of Europe Turkey Cyprus Post-Ottoman Societies

Experience

Professor of Social, Political and Psychological Anthropology

1999-01-01 — Present

University of Cambridge • Cambridge, ENG

Teaching and research in the Department of Social Anthropology.

Lecturer

1997-01-01 — 1999-01-01

University of Edinburgh • Edinburgh, SC

Instructor in Social Anthropology.

Awards

#

Elected Fellow

2025-01-01

Courses

Anthropology of Borders, Refugees, and Catastrophe Anthropological Theory and Methods Anthropological Theory: Psychological Anthropology Anthropological Theory: Critical Race Studies Ethnographic Areas: Anthropology of the Middle East Ethnographic Areas: Europe Ethical Life in Anthropology: Spiritual Beings Ethical Life in Anthropology: Affect, Subjectivity, and Emotions Power, Economy, and Social Transformation: Posthumanism and New Materialisms Power, Economy, and Social Transformation: Emergent Political Forms Anthropology of Cities, Space, Materiality, and Affect

Requirements for University of Cambridge

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.7
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:25
Reading
Required:25
Writing
Required:25
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:110
Prerequisites
UK Bachelor's Degree with good Upper Second Class Honours or international equivalent Background in international relations, politics, law, economics, security or history is a definite asset
Application Checklist
  • Two academic references
  • Official transcripts
  • CV/Resume
  • Personal statement (approx 500 words)
  • Research proposal (1-2 pages/500 words)
  • Application fee (£50)
Specialization Notes

Standard postgraduate requirements for Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) and related humanities departments.