Chris Chiappari
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Chris Chiappari was born in San Francisco, California. He lived in the Bay Area until he graduated from Santa Clara University and went to study International Agricultural Development at the University of California, Davis. In studying development at Davis, he became increasingly drawn to cultural anthropology because of its holistic and comparative approach to society and culture. As a result, he moved to Minneapolis to continue his studies in anthropology at the University of Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. from there in 1999, and has been teaching in the department here at St. Olaf for several years.
He has conducted field research in highland Guatemala, initially on small craft producers, before shifting to the study of religion and social change for his dissertation research. His dissertation is on the growth of Protestantism and Maya religion there in recent decades, the popular forms these religions take in contrast to official doctrine, and the various ways in which the different religions there have influenced each other.
His research interests include: Latin America, especially Central America and Mexico; popular religion; religious syncretis; indigenous peoples, especially the Maya; social and cultural theory; and social and economic development.
Chris teaches the following courses:
124 Food Work and Culture (interim)
128 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
237 Latin American Culture
243 Social Movements
265 Religion, Culture, and Society
Office Hours:
Tuesday 3:00 - 4:00 pm, Thursday 3:45-4:45 pm,
and by appointment
Contact Chris: chiappar@stolaf.edu
