STEPHEN R. WOOTEN, Assistant Professor

Department of Anthropology & International Studies Office: PLC 354 Phone: 541 346-5299 mail: swooten@uoregon.edu

Education:

Ph.D. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
                        Date: May 1997
Major Field: Sociocultural Anthropology
Minor Field: African Studies
Dissertation title: Gardens Are for Cash, Grain Is for Life: The Social
Organization of Parallel Production Processes in a
Bamana Agricultural Village (Mali).

M.A. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
                       Date: May 1993
                       Field: Sociocultural Anthropology
                       Paper in lieu of thesis: Nineteenth Century Evolutionary Thought, French
Colonial Theory, and the Rise of Colonial Ethnography
in the French Soudan, 1900-1940.

B.A. University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Date: May 1986
                       Field: Anthropology

Research and Teaching Interests:

African and international studies; local-global dynamics; social-cultural change;
economic anthropology; political ecology; kinship, gender, and society;
history and anthropology; expressive culture

Languages and Special Skills:

Advanced Bamana; intermediate French; training in Japanese and Spanish; ethnographic field methods; international and area studies administration

 Academic Appointments:

Assistant Professor, International Studies Program and Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon. September 2001 to present

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology and International Studies Program, University of Oregon. September 1999 to August 2001.

Research Associate, Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon. September 2000 to present.

Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Southwest Missouri State University. August 1998 to May 1999.

Assistant Director, James S. Coleman African Studies Center, University of California at Los Angeles. September 1997 to August 1998.

Research Affiliate, Center for African Studies, University of Florida. August 1996 to August 1997.

Visiting Instructor, Center for African Studies, University of Florida. August 1996 to December 1996.

Acting Assistant Director, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. January-August 1996.

Visiting Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Illinois State University. January 1995 through May 1995.

Honors, Awards, and Grants

Publications and Lectures

Teaching Activities

Professional Activities

Honors and Awards:

University Faculty Fellow, University of Oregon, Eugene. September 1999-June 2000.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/Africana Research Librarianship Program, Indiana University-Bloomington, August 1999-May 2000.

Fellow, University Fellowship Program and Liberal Arts and Sciences Fellowship Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, August 1995-May 1996.

Fellow, Foreign Language and Area Studies Program (FLAS)/U.S. Department of Education; for the study of Bamana, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, August 1994-May 1995 and August 1992-May 1993; Indiana University, June-August 1991

Outstanding Paper Prize; awarded annually in recognition of the most outstanding graduate student paper in African Studies, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1993. Paper Title: “Nineteenth Century Evolutionary Thought, French Colonial Theory, and the Rise of Colonial Ethnography in the French Sudan,1900-1940.”

Grants Received:

Research

Research Grant, James S. Coleman African Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles; supported field research on Bamana expressive culture (Mali). June-July 1998.

Thesis/Project Grant, Graduate College, University of Illinois; supported the analysis of aerial photographs (Mali). December 1994.

Fulbright Dissertation Research Grant, J. William Fulbright Program/Institute of International Education; supported dissertation research in Mali. September 1993- June 1994.

National Science Foundation Ethnographic Research Training Grant, National Science Foundation; supported preliminary doctoral research in Mali. June-August 1993.

Research Grant, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign; supported pre-dissertation research in Mali. June-August 1992.

Research Grant, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; supported pre-dissertation research in Mali. June-August 1992.

Conference Travel

Support Grant, Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon, Eugene; supported travel to the Society for Economic Anthropology Meeting/ “Gender in Economic Life” at Indiana University. Paper Presentation. April 2000.

Support Grant, James S. Coleman African Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles; supported travel to the African Studies Association Meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Panel Organizer/Chair and Paper Presentation. November 1997.

Support Grant, Center for African Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville; supported travel to the American Anthropological Association and African Studies Association Meetings, San Francisco, CA. Panel Organizer/Chair and Paper Presentations. November 1996.

Travel Grant, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign; supported travel to the African Studies Association Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. Symposium Chair and Paper Presentation. November 1995.           

Publications:

2002 “Mali” In Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century African History. Paul Tiyambe Zeleza and Dickinson Eyoh, editors. London: Routledge Press. forthcoming

2001   “Bananas and Charcoal: Gender and Commodity Production in Rural Mali.” In Gender at Work in Economic Life. Gracia Clark, editor. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. forthcoming

2000 “Antelope Headdresses and Champion Farmers: Negotiating Meaning and Identity Through the Bamana Ciwara Complex. ” African Arts 33(2): 18-33, 89-90.

1999 Review of Mary Jo Arnoldi, Playing With Time: Art and Performance in Central Mali. African Arts 32 (1): 89-90.

1998 “Dancing the Ci Wara: The Changing Role of the Antelope Headdress in Bamana Society” In The African Collection: Art and Artifacts at Illinois State University. Steve Meckstroth et al, editors. Normal, IL (Interactive CD-ROM).

1996 Review of David Conrad and Barbara Frank, editors, Status and Identity in West Africa. American Anthropologist 98 (1): 213-214.

1993 “Colonial Administration and the Ethnography of the Family in the French Soudan.” Cahiers d’Études Africaines 33 (3) 131: 419-446.

1992 “The French in West Africa: Early Contact to Independence.” Update 56: 13-15. (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)

Writing In Progress:

Headdresses and Hoes: Enigmatic Emblems of a Mande Modernity (a book manuscript)

“Fadenya and Badenya: Idioms of Kinship in Bamana Discourse and Action.”

“Urbanization and Rural Transformation in Mali: A Case Study of Market Gardening in a Bamana Agricultural Village.”

“Race, Science, and Colonial Policy in Late Nineteenth Century France.”

Papers Presented and Invited Lectures:

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the Interdisciplinary Nineteenth Century Studies (INCS) group, Conference Theme: Exhibiting Culture/Displaying Race. “Racialist Evolutionary Science and the African Colonial Agenda in Nineteenth Century France.” April 2001.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, Nashville, TN: “Traditionally Modern: Toward an Understanding of the Ciwara Complex in a Contemporary Context.” November 2000.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the Society for Economic Anthropology, Bloomington, IN: “Bananas and Charcoal: Gender and Commodity Production in Rural Mali.” April 2000.

Work-in-Progress Talk, Oregon Humanities Center, University of Oregon, Eugene: “Antelope Headdresses and Champion Farmers: Crafting Identities Through Performance in Rural Mali.” January 2000.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, Chicago, IL: “Perinbam’s Analysis of ‘Family’ Identity in the Bamako Kafu: An Anthropological Critique.” October 1998.

Invited Presentation, Annual Meeting of the Mid-America Alliance for African Studies, Wichita, KS: “Getting Africa into the Curriculum: A Comparison of Challenges and Opportunities on National Resource Center (NRC) and non-NRC Campuses.” September 1998.

Paper Presentation, International Conference on Mande Studies, Banjul, The Gambia: “Expressive Agri/Culture: Headdresses, Hoes and Heritage on the Mande Plateau (Mali).” June 1998.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association,Washington, DC: “Gender, Commodity Production, and Market Activity: A Case Study from Rural Mali.” November 1997.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, Columbus, OH: “Going to Market: Gender and Trade on the Manding Plateau (Mali).” November 1997.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, San Francisco, CA: “Domestic Organization and Agrarian Change in Rural Mali: Lessons and Insights from the French Anthropological Tradition in West Africa.” November 1996.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, San Francisco, CA: “The Ci Wara Performance Tradition: The Dynamic Nature of a Bamana Agrarian Ritual (Mali).” November 1996.

Invited Lecture, Baraza Lecture Series, Center for African Studies, University of Florida at Gainesville: “Headdresses and Hoes: Expressive Culture and Agricultural Ecology in Rural Mali.” September 1996.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Washington, DC: “Expressions Individuality and Collectivity: Exploring the Role of Kinship and Descent in the Bamana World (Mali).” November 1995.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, Orlando, FL: “Kinship and Ideology in the Bamana World: Towards an Explication of an Indigenous Model of Social Action.” November 1995.

Colloquium Presentation, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: “An Exploration of Social Organization, Cultural Values and Social Action among the Bamana of Central Mali.” October 1995.

Invited Lecture, Department of Anthropology, Illinois State University at Normal: “Dancing the Ci Wara: Power and Performance in the Rural Bamana World (Mali).” April 1995.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Albuquerque, NM: “Market Gardening in a Rural Malian Community: Are There Benefits For Producer Health and Nutrition Standards?” March 1995.

Paper Presentation, Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, Toronto, Ontario: “Urban Growth and Rural Transformation: A Case Study of Fresh Produce Production in a Malian Village.” November 1994.

Invited Lecture, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: “Market Gardening in a Rural Bamana Community (Mali).” October 1994.

Invited Lecture, American Embassy, Bamako, Mali: “Culture, Society and Economy in Contemporary Rural Mali.” April 1994.

Teaching Activities:

University of Oregon

Responsible for: Anthropological Perspectives on Africa, September-December 1999 and September-December 2001; Development and Social Change in Africa, January-March 2000 and January-March 2001; Peoples and Cultures of West Africa and the Sahara, April-June 2000; Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, July-August 2000, January-March 2001, and July-August 2001; Economic Anthropology, March-May 2001; Masks and Meanings: African Art and Society, July-August 2001.

Guest Lecture, Dr. Karen Kelsky’s Nationalism/Transnationalism course, University of Oregon, Eugene: “In and Out of Africa: Musical Cross-Currents in the Global Age” November 2000.

Guest Lecture, Dr. Bill Ayres’ Prehistory of Africa course, University of Oregon, Eugene: “From Weeds to Grain: Ethnographic and Indigenous Perspectives on the Origins of Agriculture on the West African Savanna.” April 2000.

Guest Lectures, Humanities 315 Introduction to African Studies course, University of Oregon, Eugene: “Farming and Farm Families in Rural Mali” and “Ciwara: A Bamana Agrarian Masquerade.” April 2000 and April 2001.

Guest Lecture, Dr. Diane Baxter’s Anthropology Through Novels: Cultural Themes in Fiction course, University of Oregon, Eugene: “A Perspective on the Roots of Africa’s ‘Troubles’.” November 1999.

Prior to Appointment at the University of Oregon

Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield; Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Responsible for the organization and instruction of a semester-long, introductory general education course: World Cultures, a semester-long, intermediate level survey course: Peoples and Cultures of Africa, and an intensive intersession course: Art and Society in Africa. August 1998 - May 1999.

University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for African Studies. Responsible for the organization and instruction of a semester-long, multidisciplinary course: The African Experience: An Introduction to Africa, August-December 1996.

Illinois State University, Normal; Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Responsible for the organization and instruction of a semester-long course: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, January-May 1995.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Office of Minority Student Affairs. Served as a tutor for various courses in Anthropology and African Studies, 1994-1996.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Department of Anthropology, Teaching Assistant with Dr. Mahir Saul. Introduction to Modern Africa, January-May 1993 and January-May 1991.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Department of Anthropology, Teaching Assistant with Drs. Barry Lewis and Geoffrey Pope. Introduction to Anthropology: Human Origins and Culture, August- December 1992.

Administrative Activities:

Co-Organizer and Co-Convener, “Engaging Africa: A Symposium Exploring the Future of African Studies” University of Oregon, Eugene. Played a leadership role in defining, developing, and managing a campus program designed to stimulate research and curricular enhancements on African themes and issues. May 2000 to May 2001.

Committee Member, African Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene. Instructor in the program, participant in program administration and curriculum development. September 1999 to present.

Committee Member, Gender Studies Program, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield. Participant in program administration and curriculum development. January 1999 to May 1999.

Committee Member, African American Studies Program, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield. Instructor in the African American Studies Minor Program, participant in program administration and curriculum development. September 1998 to May 1999.

Assistant Director, James S. Coleman African Studies Center, University of California at Los Angeles. Duties involved academic program development, management of fund-raising activities, coordination of research programs, liaison activities with foreign scholars and students, liaison activities with campus units, management of publication program, and consultation with students. September 1997 to August 1998.

Outreach Coordinator, International Studies and Overseas Programs, University of California, Los Angeles. Duties involved the development of Africa-focused curriculum materials, organization of a two-week intensive workshop, lecturing on various themes, and creation of evaluation procedures. “Africa Seminar for K-12 Educators” April to August 1998.

Advisory Committee Member, Institute for the Study of Gender in Africa, University of California at Los Angeles. Involved in thematic programming, administration and long-range planning activities of this humanities residential fellowship program. September 1997 to August 1998.

Acting Assistant Director, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Assisted in all aspects of the administration of this federally-funded National Resource Center. January-August 1996.

Advisory Committee Member, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Advised the Director on issues of program development, the formulation of outside funding strategies, Title VI administration and proposal development, FLAS and Research Grant awards, faculty and professional searches. January-May 1996.

Professional Activities:

Curator, “Africa: Looking Back, Looking Forward,” Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. June 2001 to present.

Co-Chair and Co-Organizer, Panel for the 2000 African Studies Association Meeting in Nashville, TH. Panel Title: “New Perspectives on Performance and Power: The Arts, ‘Traditional’ Religion, and Islam in the Mande Region.” November 2000.

National Review Panel Member, U.S. Department of Education (International Education and Graduate Program Services). Reader for African Studies National Resource Center and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) proposals. December 1999.

Secretary-Treasurer, International Mande Studies Association. November 1997- present.

International Editorial Advisory Board Member, African Anthropology: Journal of the Pan Africanm Anthropological Association. September 1997-present.

Chair and Organizer, Roundtable for the 1998 African Studies Association Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Roundtable Title: “Families, Identities and Politics in the Mande World: A Tribute to the Late B. Marie Perinbam.” October 1998.

Chair and Organizer, Panel for the 1997 African Studies Association Meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Panel Title: “Exploring the Complexities of Socio-Economic Change in the Mande World.” November 1997.

Chair and Co-Organizer, Panel for the 1996 American Anthropological Association Meeting in San Francisco, California. Panel Title: “Bridging Anthropological Traditions: American Encounters with French Anthropology in West Africa.” November 1996.

Co-Chair and Co-Organizer, Panel for the 1995 African Studies Association Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Panel Title: “The Individual and Society in the Bamana World (Mali).” November 1995.

Guest Curator, African Arts Collection. Illinois State University at Normal. February 1995 to present.

Community Activities:

Invited Presentation, Voices of the World: Annual Foreign Language and International Studies Day, University of Oregon, Eugene: “Masks and Meaning in Africa.” April 2000 and April 2001. (Open house program for 2200+ Oregon high school students.)

Consultant, Oregon Business Magazine, Portland, OR. Interview published in “Out of Africa: Eugene’s Swahili Imports Not Only Brings African Art to New Markets But Creates Entrepreneurs in the Process.” November 2000.

Technical Advisor, International High School/South Eugene High School. Outside mentor and reader for Beth Coddington’s senior project on women leaders and spirit possession in Africa. May-December 2000.

Guest Speaker, South Eugene High School, “Bamana Masks and Masquerades:

The Dynamics of Expressive Culture in a Contemporary Malian Village.” May 2000.

Professional Memberships:

American Anthropological Association African Studies Association

Association for Africanist Anthropology Society for Economic Anthropology

Mande Studies Association West African Research Association

Arts Council of the African Studies Association