Dr. Messeri's anthropological research focuses on the norms, aspirations, and consequences of work done by expert communities as they forge new fields of knowledge and invention. Her first book, Placing Outer Space: An Earthly Ethnography of Other Worlds (2016, Duke University Press), considers how “planet” is not only a cosmic concept, but also a humanistic one. Her second book, In the Land of the Unreal: Virtual and Other Realities in Los Angeles (2024, Duke University Press), seeks to understand how the recent resurgence of virtual reality hinged on a belief that technology could repair rifts in reality. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, The Atlantic, Slate, CNN, PBS, and more. She has spoken domestically and internationally at academic institutions, film festivals, and museums.

This talk is sponsored by the Ethnography Studio.