Welcome to the Department of Anthropology's Events page! Our events are open to all members of the University of South Carolina community and the public, offering opportunities to engage with topics ranging from cutting-edge research to professional development, including careers, publishing, and research practices.
The Department's Colloquia Series features faculty, local scholars, and invited speakers presenting engaging research from around the world. These events provide an excellent opportunity to learn about current anthropological scholarship, connect with researchers, and gain inspiration from the diverse work being conducted across the discipline.
Thursday, March 18, 2027 at 3pm in Gambrell 429
An exciting colloquium talk by Drs. Kingsolver and Balasundaram who will be discussing their connected careers in anthropology, focused on engaged intergenerational listening and helping students develop relationships with other students globally and with the earth itself.
The Department of Anthropology celebrates 50 years with a Special Lecture by Dr. Thomas Leatherman, highlighting decades of research, discovery and community
engagement that shaped anthropology at the University of South Carolina. 
Join us for a Book Talk with Dr. Magdalena Stawkowski (Anthropology, USC) on Atomic Collective: Radioactive Life in Kazakhstan. Drawing
on long-term ethnographic research, Stawkowski explores every day life and resilience
in communities living with the legacy of Cold War nuclear testing. 
Speaker: Ashanté Reese, PhD, The University of Texas at Austin
When/Where: Monday, Feb. 9 · 3 p.m. · Gambrell 429
Explore how sugar production, prisons, and agriculture intersect in Southeast Texas. Drawing on archival, archaeological, and media sources, Dr. Reese examines how public–private partnerships built “the city that sugar built” and shaped carceral violence impacting Black lives.
Read more about the event
Speaker: Aris Clemons, PhD, University of Tennessee Knoxville
When/Where: Tuesday, Dec. 2 · 3 p.m. · Gambrell 429
How do Black U.S. Spanish varieties emerge across different cultural, geographic, and linguistic contexts? This talk introduces liberatory linguistics, a framework that challenges colonial foundations of linguistic study while centering race, power, and community. Using examples from music, media, and community practice, Clemons examines how Blackness and Latinidad are negotiated through linguistic choices, sonic cues, and visual semiotics.
Speaker: Ashley McDermott, University of Michigan
When/Where: Thursday, Dec. 4 · 3 p.m. · Gambrell 431
How do YouTube algorithms shape kids’ language use in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan? This talk explores how children’s everyday Russian and Kyrgyz practices emerge from home and school interactions plus algorithmically recommended online content, revealing new dynamics of language shift in a global, digital age.
Volunteers are invited to participate in a working archaeology lab. Participants will be taught how to wash and sort artifacts recovered from the USC Horseshoe excavation.
Participants must be age 12 or older. Anyone under 18 must have a parent or guardian present. Space is limited. Please RSVP to archaeology@mailbox.sc.edu.
Hamilton, Room 134 | 4:30 – 6:30