Russell Sharman
Associate Professor
Anthropology and Archaeology
Russell Leigh Sharman is a writer, filmmaker and anthropologist. He is the author of two books, The Tenants of East Harlem and Nightshift NYC (with his wife, Cheryl Harris Sharman). He has published and presented numerous essays on urban life, culture and aesthetics, and received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Whiting Foundation and others. His first stage play, Small of Her Back, was produced in New York City by Jaradoa Theater Company in 2008. He has since written screenplays for several studios, including Warner Bros., Fox and Disney. He has also directed two feature films, including an adaptation of Small of Her Back and Quimby Remains, now in post-production.
Show Scholarly Activities and Professional Accomplishments
Education:
Ph.D., Oxford University - 1999 (Anthropology)
M.A., Northeastern University - 1996 (Anthropology)
B.S., University of Texas at Austin - 1994 (Film)
Areas of Expertise:
Sharman's dissertation concerned Caribbean migration to Costa Rica, and how acculturation proceeded aesthetically in food, music, art and architecture. Since then, he has continued his work on aesthetics in Costa Rica, where he studies the cult of La Negrita. He has also pursued ethnographic research in New York City, first on ethnic succession in East Harlem, and then on nightshift labor. His most recent research and work is on the use of narrative in anthropology, both in theory and practice.
Books and Publications
Nightshift NYC. University of California Press. (Books and Publications: Book) 2008
"Style Matters: Ethnography as Method and Genre." Anthropology and Humanism 32.2. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2007
Editor, special issue: "The Art of Ethnography: Narrative Style as a Research Method." Anthropology and Humanism 32.2. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2007
"Gauguin, Negrín and the Art of Anthropology." Exploring World Art. Eds. Eric Venbrux, Pamela Sheffield Rosi and Robert L. Welsch. Waveland Press. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2006
"Re/Making La Negrita: Culture as an Aesthetic System in Costa Rica." American Anthropologist 108.4. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2006
The Tenants of East Harlem. University of California Press. (Books and Publications: Book) 2006
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
Whiting Foundation Fellowship. (Grants and Fellowships) 2004
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
"The Art of Ethnography." American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. San Jose, Calif. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2006
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