Emory University and Anthropology Alumni Daniel K. Thompson publishes book titled Smugglers, Speculators, and the City in the Ethiopia-Somalia Borderlands.
Daniel graduated from Emory University with his PhD in 2019 and is now an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Merced. His research focused on exploring eastern African and US migration, border-making and how urbanization shaped economic strategies for handling uncertainty.
First page excerpt: “For a century, the Ethiopian city Jigjiga was known as a dusty hub of cross-border smuggling and a hotbed of rebellion on Ethiopia’s eastern frontier. After 2010, it transformed into a post-conflict boomtown, becoming one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities and attracting Somali return-migrants from across the globe. This study examines Jigjiga’s astonishing transformation through the eyes of its cross-border traders, urban businesspeople, and officials. Daniel K. Thompson follows traders and return-migrants across borders to where their lives collide in the city. Analysing their strategies of mobility and exchange, this study reveals how Ethiopia’s federal politics, Euro-American concerns about terrorism, and local business aspirations have intertwined to reshape links between border-making and city-making in the Horn of Africa. To understand this distinctive brand of urbanism, Thompson follows globalized connections and reveals how urbanites in Africa and beyond participate in the “urban borderwork” of constructing, as well as contesting, today’s border management regimes.”
Smugglers, Speculators, and the City in the Ethiopia-Somalia Borderlands by Daniel K. Thompson is available for purchase online.
Congratulations to our graduating students who received honors from their thesis. Read more about this year’s honors students and their projects on our 2025 Honors Students page.
Honors Students Helen Andrade Thesis Title: Cultural perceptions of Autism Among Hispanic Youth Advisor: Dr. John Lindo
Maya Ashe Thesis Title:I Am Smart, I am Kind…and I Am Black: Examining Black Motherhood in the 21stCentury Advisor: Dr. Bayo Holsey
Peter Attarian Thesis Title:Outside the Grid: Self-Reliant Communities in the Ouachita Mountains Advisor: Dr. Kristin Phillips
Neha Bajaj Thesis Title: Distinct Resting-State Functional Brain Connectivity Profiles in Healthy Aging and Parkinson’s Disease-Driven Neurodegeneration Advisor: Dr. Madeleine Hackney and Dr. John Lindo
Jada Brown Thesis Title: Sunshine and Exclusion: The Legacy of Sundown Towns in a Tourist Paradise Advisor: Dr. Bayo Holsey
Grace Cayless Thesis Title: Early Life Adversity in Chimpanzees: The Role of Disease Exposure Advisor: Dr. Bayo Holsey
Ava Coates Thesis Title: Ancient Greek Legacy in Sicily: Traversing fromt he Ancient to theModern Advisor: Dr. Sandra Blakely
Julianna Cruz Thesis Title:Behind the Statistics: Deconstructing the Sociocultural Contexts of Hispanic and Latinx Patient Outcomes, Undocumented Narratives, and Underrepresentation in Kidney Disease Research Advisor: Dr. John Lindo
Maura Dianno Thesis Title: Effectiveness of the Implementation of Routing Screening of Relative Energy Dificiency Syndrome in Female Atheletes Advisor: Dr. John Lindo
Kaela Goldstein Thesis Title: Weaving Two Worlds: The Next Generations of Ethiopian Jewelry in Israel Advisor: Dr. Don Seeman
Shriya Iyer Thesis Title: At the Interface of the Human Host and Bacteria: Stress Signaling Via Cyclic AMP and Calcium Advisor: Dr. Rabindra Tirouvanziam
Sarah Jung Thesis Title: Exploring Motives for Participation in Genomic Research Advisor: Dr. Rohan Palmer
Isabella Kaufman Thesis Title: Identification of long-acting HIV-1 antiviral pairings and analysis of societal implications of shifting patient-care models Advisor: Dr. Craig Hadley and Dr. Stefan Sarafianos
Lydia King Thesis Title: Promoting Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Communication Materials, Through a Multidisciplinary Analysis of Community Health Practices in Gombe-Masito-Ugalla Ecosystem Advisor: Dr. Craig Hadley and Dr. Gillespie
Anusha Kothari Thesis Title:Qualitative Analysis of Influences Behind Lifestyle Behaviors Regarding Cardiometobolic Health in South Asian Immigrants Advisor: Dr. Harshita Kamath and Dr. Bobby Paul
Anna Little Thesis Title: Ethnographic Theater for Memory Care Residents Advisor: Dr. Debra Vidali
Fiona Meyer Thesis Title: The Intertwined and Independent Predictive Roles of Maternal Age, Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), and Oocyte Quantity during In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Advisor: Dr. Alicia Smith and Dr. Anna Knight
Shreya Ramanathan Thesis Title: Assessing Barriers to Preventative Cancer Screening & Care for Refugee and Immigrant Women in Georgia Advisor: Dr. Saria Hassan
Rashimi Raveendran Thesis Title: What’s Good for the Goose May Not Be Good for the Gander: An Analysis of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Comprehension Amonst South Asians and Providers Advisor: Dr. Craig Hadley
Zinnia Robinson Thesis Title:The Ballroom Masquerade: Gen-Z’s Dance with AAE and Intersectional Language Advisor: Dr. Erica Britt
Kylie Taylor Thesis Title: Exploring Endothelial Cell Sources for Brain Vasculature Modeling in 2D and 3D Cultures Advisor: Dr. Steven Sloan
Donna Torres Thesis Title:Language and Care: Access to Healthcare Among Hispanic Communities Advisor: Dr. Don Seeman
Congratulations to our 2025 Student Award Winners!
2025 Anthropology Student Awards The Anthropology Department is pleased to announce our 2025 student award winners! Undergraduate awards are presented at our annual Honors and Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 25. We are so proud of our many impressive students. Please join us in congratulating them!
Outstanding Senior Award: Peter Attarian, Grace Cayless, and Marian Moss Outstanding Junior Award: Yijia “Jackie” Zhou Trevor E. Stokol Scholarship(awarded for 2025-26): Theodore Lin, Demissie Mahliet, Jaanaki Radhakrishnan, Daniel Sorungbe, Sasha Trukhnova, Anna Yego Marjorie Shostak Award, Undergraduate: Peter Attarian and Marian Moss Marjorie Shostak Award, Graduate: Peter Habib and Sana Noon George Armelagos Award: Peter Habib, Sarah Kovalaskas, and Will Boose
EMORY ANTHROPOLOGY 