“Human* Being: On Otherkin Identity and Digital Community” is an ethnographic exploration of the Otherkin—a technologically mediated community whose members identify as other-than-human—breaking down barriers of identity and calling into question assumptions about what it means to be a human. The book argues that the internet-saturated communities of the industrialized Global North have become open to a relationship for sociality beyond the human, something that might be called “animism” in many parts of the world.

The book approaches this phenomenon through the lens of the Otherkin and their practices of digitally mediated identity and community construction. They recognize their biological humanness, but nonetheless experience the non-human memories, urges, and sensations of animals and mythological creatures: wolves, dragons, tigers, elves and so on. The Otherkin represent a larger shift in body identity, shown by increasing numbers of people identifying as trans, nonbinary, fluid, and neurodiverse; bodies open to nuance, complication, and multiplicity. However anomalistic, even fantastical they may seem, the Otherkin offer a window into our own complex notions of bodies, Selves, and technologies. They experience an incongruence, i.e., “misfit” in the relationship between their corporeal bodies and their Selves, so they turn to internet technologies to facilitate negotiation between the two.

Based on a decade of ethnographic research, Human* Being examines Otherkin engagement with the techno-virtuality afforded by the internet—through chat forums, personal blogs, 3D virtual worlds, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, Discord, TikTok and Reddit—troubling conventional notions about our relationships with the virtual and our understandings of the Self. Through an analysis of “awakening narratives” wherein the Otherkin describe the realization of their own non-human natures, a reader comes to know a core group of interlocutors who act as guides through the world of the Otherkin. The book closely examines internal community debates about the limits of non-human identity, avatar creation practices in virtual worlds to approximate inner realities and the policing of identity constructs toward a stable definition of the phenomenon. All told, the result is what anthropologist Katrin Tiidenberg calls, “Such a nerdy book, in the absolute best way.”

Human* Being is published fully open access by : a university press supported by a consortium of institutions including Amherst, Bowdoin, Yale, UT Austin, Vassar, and Claremont, among others. Lever puts all monographs’ full manuscripts through a single blind peer-review process and publishes at platinum access, meaning that the books are all digital-native and free to the public. Physical copies are also available.

Ghoshal surveyed over a thousand Americans and asked a battery of questions designed to examine who adopts which view of racial group membership and under what conditions. His study, “,” was recently published in Social Currents, the official journal of the Southern Sociological Society.

Ghoshal’s research grows out of a tension between different ways of thinking about race. In formal contexts, racial group membership is usually conceived of as binary—one simply is, or is not, part of a group. But informally, nearly all Americans are familiar with claims that people who lack cultural connection or shared experiences, are of mixed descent, look atypical, or do not speak the language associated with their ancestry, are less a part of the group than same-race others.

Ghoshal found that most Americans say that they see race only categorically and claim to reject the idea of varying degrees of membership, but frequently draw on gradational understandings of race in concrete scenarios. For instance, some respondents who said they rejected the idea of degrees of membership nonetheless indicated that they would think of a mixed-ancestry person as “less part of” their racial group than someone whose parents both hailed from that group. The same pattern prevailed for prompts such as comparisons of those who do not speak the language traditionally associated with their ancestry to those who do, or of those who strongly self-identify as part of a group versus those who do not.

The study also found variation in these patterns by age, ideology and race. Americans who came of age after former President Barack Obama’s rise to prominence were more likely to embrace the idea of racial group membership as sometimes continuous, while very liberal and very conservative respondents united in rejecting the idea of gradational belonging more than other groups. Black Americans were especially rejecting of gradational ideas of race in the abstract, but all groups of color were more likely than Whites to embrace this idea when considering concrete examples.

The study contributes to a growing literature on the multidimensionality and complexity of race, especially research that has called attention to variation in treatment and identity based on skin tone, language proficiency and national origin.

������Ƶ Assistant Professor of Anthropology Devin Proctor was featured in a recent Marie Claire article examining how gambling companies are increasingly targeting women through social media, reality television and influencer culture. The story, explores how betting platforms are reframing gambling as entertainment and financial empowerment to attract new audiences.

Proctor is a cultural anthropologist who examines identity construction and virtual space. He said the shift reflects a broader cultural change in how women’s interests are being monetized.

“This communicates to a whole new population of fans that their cultural knowledge has economic value,” Proctor told Marie Claire. “The same knowledge that has often been dismissed as trivial or ‘trashy’ is suddenly presented as something capable of generating capital. What’s changing isn’t necessarily the activity itself—it’s the moral framing around it.”

The article notes that betting companies are encouraging women to view their knowledge of reality television, celebrity culture and internet trends as opportunities to make money, much like sports betting has long relied on fans’ knowledge of athletic competition. Proctor described this trend as the “financialisation of cultural expertise,” highlighting how marketing campaigns are redefining entertainment as an economic asset.

, the annual conference, brings together researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, advocates, and individuals with Tourette syndrome and their families. This diverse and interdisciplinary audience provides a unique opportunity to share research directly with those most affected by it while also informing the work of clinicians, educators, and others who support people with Tourette syndrome.

The presentation, Beyond “Only 10%”: Coprolalia, Stigma, and (Not) Being the Stereotype, presented with psychologist Michael Himle (University of Utah), examined how stereotypes about coprolalia (the involuntary utterance of socially inappropriate words or phrases) shape the ways people with Tourette syndrome understand, discuss, and experience their condition. The session also invited attendees to reflect on how the language used by individuals, professionals and organizations can either reinforce or challenge stigma surrounding coprolalia and other highly stigmatized tics.

The presentation, Making Disclosure Work for You: Lessons from Social Science, presented with health communication specialist M.J. Dunne (Oregon Health & Science University), drew on Zito’s research alongside findings from across the social sciences to examine how people with both invisible and more readily apparent neurological conditions navigate decisions about disclosing their diagnoses. The session explored evidence-based strategies for informal disclosure in everyday interactions with strangers, coworkers, family members, friends, and others.

In “The Spectrum of Virtuality: Space, Presence, and the Non-Human” in the Internet, Devin Proctor, ������Ƶ assistant professor of anthropology, argues for understanding the internet not simply as a tool or technology, but as a social space that people inhabit in different ways.

He introduces the concept of a “spectrum of virtuality” to explain how individuals experience varying degrees of digital presence across online environments, from video calls and social media platforms to anonymous online communities. The book also explores the role of non-human actors, including algorithms, bots, and artificial intelligence systems, in shaping online interactions. Proctor contends that digital realities are co-produced through relationships between human users and these technological agents, creating what he describes as a “field of internet presence.”

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with the Otherkin community, a group whose members identify internally as non-human and often socialize online, the book challenges conventional assumptions about virtual life, embodiment, and identity. Through this research, Proctor examines how digital environments influence selfhood, communication, and social belonging.

Published as part of Bloomsbury’s Studies in New Media series, “The Spectrum of Virtuality” contributes to ongoing scholarly conversations about digital culture, online communities, and the evolving relationship between people and technology.

“The Spectrum of Virtuality: Space, Presence, and the Non-Human in the Internet” was published on July 9, 2026, by Bloomsbury Academic.

Sociology and anthropology students at ������Ƶ develop research skills and gain hands-on experience conducting original studies with real-world impact. The products of their research were on display at ������Ƶ’s Spring Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) on April 28, 2026.

Examples of sociology and anthropology student research presented at SURF included:

• Lily Andresen-Simmons’s “College Student Narrations of Moral Formation” (mentored by Devin Proctor)
• Emma Hash’s “Parental Perspectives: A Sociological Analysis of Adoptive Parents During the One-Child Policy” (mentored by Tom Arcaro)
• Morgan Murphy’s “Constructing Serial Homicide: Media Framing of Serial Killers, their Victims, and their Crimes” (mentored by Rena Zito)
• Mallory Otten’s “Beauty and Blame: How Gender and Attractiveness Shape Perceptions of Heterosexual Intimate Partner Violence” (mentored by Rena Zito)
• Dani Rudd’s “Toward Values-Aligned AI Use: An Authenticity-Based Framework” (mentored by Alexis Franzese)
• Avery Shipp’s “Understanding the Everyday: Investigating Ancient Maya Society in the City of Dos Hombres Through Household Archaeology” (mentored by Rissa Trachman)
• Kate Burns’s “Ancient Maya Ceramics at Dos Hombres: Chronology, Use, and Meaning at the Courtyard A-4 Household” (mentored by Rissa Trachman)

  

Six rising juniors have been named members of the tenth class of Multifaith Scholars, a two-year fellows program for juniors and seniors that offers a closely mentored, experientially rich and intellectually rigorous educational opportunity for students with significant potential.

After a highly selective application and interview process, students are awarded $5,000 annually to support research and study in global contexts connected with religious diversity and multi-religious societies. Students who show great potential as academically curious and socially engaged leaders committed to their own ongoing development and the enhancement of their local and global communities are selected each spring.

“I am delighted to welcome these six impressive rising juniors into the Multifaith Scholars program and look forward to supporting their compelling projects over the next two years,” said Amy Allocco, director of the Multifaith Scholars program. “Their research interests include music and Christian religious experience, linguistic anthropology and the vocabulary of faith, religious diversity in clinical settings, gender and religious roles in Asian art, the intersection of biomedicine and traditional healing practices and the history of Black churches here in Alamance County.”

In addition to pursuing their faculty-mentored undergraduate research projects and undertaking academic coursework in religious studies and interreligious studies, the scholars will extend the program’s ongoing community partnership with the Burlington Masjid. Through the partnership, scholars teach English classes, participate in youth and social events with the local Muslim community, join community garden workdays, volunteer with the food pantry and take part in potlucks and iftar meals during Ramadan.

“It is wonderful to welcome such a strong class with such diverse academic interests,” reflected Brian Pennington, director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, which supports the Multifaith Scholars program. “As we approach the tenth anniversary of the MFS, it is gratifying to see so many clear signs of the program’s maturity and significance: our largest class ever, the inclusion of seven new faculty mentors, and students majoring in three disciplines never before represented in MFS.”

The 2026-2028 Multifaith Scholars

Addison Anderson

Majors: History, Sociology

Minors: Museum Studies, Public History, and Interreligious Studies

Mentor: Amanda Kleintop (History and Geography)

Project Title: History and Memory of Alamance County’s Black Churches

Proposed Research: Examine the relationship between Alamance County African American churches and local politics in North Carolina from Reconstruction through 1900.

Blair Berenson

Major: Anthropology

Minors: Jewish Studies, Sociology, Philosophy and Interreligious Studies

Mentors: Amy Allocco (Religious Studies) and Devin Proctor (Sociology & Anthropology)

Project Title: An Anthropological Approach to Cross-Generational Shifts in Hindu and Jewish Perspectives of Faith in the US

Proposed Research: Conduct fieldwork in Jewish and Hindu communities in Atlanta to understand how different generations articulate the concept of faith.

Katie Castelo

Major: Biochemistry

Minors: Neuroscience, Spanish, and Interreligious Studies

Mentor: Cathy Quay (Nursing)

Project Title: Bridging Faith and Medicine: Improving Cultural Awareness of Religious Practices in the Healthcare System

Proposed Research: Explore the healthcare industry’s approach to death and ways it can be more open to diverse religious practices.

Faith Elliott

Major: Neuroscience

Minors: Expressive Arts and Interreligious Studies

Mentors: Lynn Huber (Religious Studies) and Morgan Patrick (Music Theory)

Project Title: Neurotheology: An Interdisciplinary Study into Sacred Music and Feelings of Well-Being

Proposed Research: Examine the historical significance of music and understand and measure the behavioral impact associated with an emotional, transcendent spiritual experience and the well-being that results from listening.

Mariama Jalloh

Major: Public Health

Minors: Biology and Interreligious Studies

Mentor: Sandra Darfour-Oduro (Public Health)

Project Title: Faith, Healers, and Health: How Religious Beliefs and Community Trust Shape Healthcare Decisions in West African Communities

Proposed Research: Examine how religious leaders and traditional healers influence healthcare decisions in communities in Ghana, and how public health programs can partner with these practitioners to improve health education outcomes.

Ryleigh Rouse

Majors: Art History, Religious Studies

Minors: Museum Studies and Public History and Asian Studies

Mentor: Kirstin Ringelberg (Art History)

Project Title: Religion’s Impact on Japanese Women: Through an Art Historical Lens

Proposed Research: Employ art as a lens to examine how religion shaped gender perceptions and Japanese women’s roles.

Otten and Zito’s research examined how gender and sexual orientation shape public perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV). Using a nationally representative survey experiment with more than 1,600 U.S. adults, participants were shown the same IPV scenario, but with the perpetrator’s gender and sexual orientation changed across versions. They found that people judged heterosexual male perpetrators most harshly, while gay male perpetrators and heterosexual female perpetrators were seen as less culpable, less dangerous and less deserving of punishment. Lesbian perpetrators fell in between, suggesting that judgments about violence are shaped by assumptions about who is capable of causing harm and who is seen as a “real” victim.

The study draws attention to how stereotypes about masculinity, femininity and sexuality influence responses to abuse. Because intimate partner violence is often framed as a “women’s issue,” violence against men —  especially gay men — can be minimized or dismissed. In contrast, women perpetrators may be seen as less threatening. These perceptions matter because they affect whether victims seek help, how law enforcement and courts respond and whether survivors are believed in the first place.

Zito also presented a study titled “‘It’s Never Stopped Me Doing Anything I Wanted to Do’: Disability (Dis)Identification in Tourette Syndrome” as part of the Disability & Health session. The research explored how adults with Tourette Syndrome (TS) understand and articulate their condition in relation to disability, including how they position themselves as disabled, non-disabled or in-between. Based on 30 in-depth interviews, Zito found that disability identity is shaped less by how people interpret their experiences rather than simply by tic severity. Some rejected the disability label, equating disability with physical incapacitation and having a limited life, while others embraced it by pointing to chronic pain, workplace barriers, stigma and public scrutiny. Many fell somewhere in between, describing TS as disabling at times but hesitating to claim disability status. The research shows that TS exists in the “borderlands” of disability, where identity is influenced by cultural ideas about normality and what counts as a “real” disability.

The Lumen Prize supported Otten’s research. Zito’s research was supported by an ������Ƶ Summer Research Fellowship.

The highlights of the event included the induction of sociology students into Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Honor Society of Sociology and of anthropology students into Lambda Alpha, the National Anthropology Honor Society.

The department also celebrated Avery Shipp, recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Sociology Senior Award, and Kate Burns, recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Anthropology Senior Award. These awards recognize distinguished scholarship and ethical research practices by senior majors.

Shipp was recognized for her mixed-methods research on the impact of the presentation of “bad behavior” in children’s literature on neurodivergent children from the 1980s until the present.

Kate Burns was recognized for her archaeological research and ceramic analysis at the Dos Hombres field site in Belize, research that she will continue to pursue in the Ph.D program in Anthropology at UT-Austin.

Pamela Runestad, assistant professor of anthropology, has been named the 2026-2028 Scholar for the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society (CSRCS). During her term, Runestad will focus on resources for faculty and staff with community engaged experiences in their courses. Additionally, she will help build CSRCS capacity for student research, internships and foster campuswide engagement. Runestad will assume her position on June 1, 2026.

“I’m really excited to bring together expertise from CSRCS and PERCS regarding best practices for class site visits to religious sites so that we have resources for faculty and staff who facilitate community engaged experiences as part of their courses. I hope these will be useful for in-house courses and winter term courses abroad,” Runestad said.

CSRCS Director Brian Pennington says that Runestad’s “expertise in Japan and in medical anthropology will bring new skills and insights to the CSRCS. Her commitments to student learning and to campus culture are well known, and we will be excited to welcome her on board.”

Runestad is a Food Studies faculty member and is a medical anthropologist who began to combine interests in biology, social studies, and culture while teaching in Nagano, Japan, from 2000 to 2006. She moved to Honolulu to study medical anthropology in 2006 and returned to Japan for her doctoral research on HIV/AIDS, supported by Fulbright-Hays and the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation, from 2009 to 2013. She is particularly interested in medical narratives, and biocultural aspects of infectious disease, chronic conditions and nutrition.

“As a medical anthropologist, I’m also excited to contribute to the ‘Bridging Faith and Health’ microcredential and related conversations about interdisciplinary health and human experience on campus. My own research explores socio-cultural and religious components of maternity clinic strategies to engage patient-clients as the birthrate continues to decline in Japan,” said Runestad. “Sometimes religious underpinnings of everyday practices are difficult to discern or are more complicated than they appear at first glance. Attending to those underpinnings can make root causes of social issues clearer.”