Roberto I. Armengol

Colleges and universities have long been engines of disparity that reproduce hierarchies of wealth, power and race. As no advising is value-neutral, mine explicitly recognizes and struggles against that past, in the hope of serving our students’ goals and the social good. My approach is empathetic — both to my advisees as whole persons and to the challenges they face charting a course for their lives in a turbulent world. I strive to demystify the academy, opening their eyes to new opportunities and potential in themselves they have yet to harness, while honoring the choices they ultimately make for themselves.

Cultural relativism informs my philosophy of teaching and advising, as it does my discipline. I hold a Ph.D. in sociocultural anthropology from the University of Virginia. My ethnographic research interprets the political economy of everyday life in Cuba and beyond. I teach about fieldwork, nonfiction storytelling, documentary film and audio, and political and economic systems as morally situated.

Earlier, I helped design and implement the Engagements program in the College, produced the award-winning podcast Democracy in Danger, and worked as a print and radio journalist. My work has been supported over the years by Fulbright, Ford and NSF fellowships. I love spending time with family and friends, reading, producing music, being outdoors and especially sailing.