Sarah Strauss

Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies

A collage of items found in Professor Sarah Strauss' office

In each issue of the Journal we introduce you to members of the faculty through items they have in their offices.

Sarah Strauss

1. Haflinger Horse
I’ve ridden horses since I was 6 years old, but sold my Haflinger, Jax, several years ago. Thinking about getting an Icelandic one next!

2. Bookmark
Anthropology is an “intradisciplinary” field, and anything that has to do with humans—across space and through time—is fair game for study.

3. Tschaggättä
This mask is part of a costume tradition from the Valais region of Switzerland, where I have done fieldwork. Figures wearing such masks chase away the evil spirits of winter just before Lent.

4. Wyoming Coal
Less energy content than a similar piece of West Virginia coal, but also less sulfur. There are always tradeoffs. I taught at the University of Wyoming for 24 years.

5. Ganesha
One of my favorites! Remover of obstacles, he is the Hindu god of beginnings and of wisdom, who brings good luck to new ventures. Here, he’s lounging with a laptop.

A statue of Ganesha, Hindu god of beginnings and of wisdom

6. Chicken
The domestic chicken has been suggested as the “type fossil” for the Anthropocene epoch. Humans have now impacted this planet from the bottom of the sea to the top of Everest.

7. Positioning Yoga
This book comes from my PhD dissertation work, one of the founding texts for the field of modern yoga studies.

8. Chocolate Tin
This comes from Fribourg, Switzerland, where I spent a sabbatical year studying climate modeling. The chocolate from Villars is wonderful and reminded me of the town where I first studied abroad as a sophomore—Blois, France.

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