The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste (University of Massachusetts-Amherst) has been elected to serve as president-elect/vice president (2021-2023). Dr. Battle-Baptiste will begin her term as president-elect/vice president at AAA’s Annual Meeting in Baltimore this November and will assume the office of Association president at the 2023 Meeting.
Dr. Battle-Baptiste is an American historical archaeologist of African and Cherokee descent whose work focuses primarily on the intersection of race, class, and gender in the shaping of cultural landscapes across the African diaspora. She is an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center at the University.
Her long history of leadership experience within the Association includes serving on the Committee on Ethics, the Nominations Committee, and the Anthropology of Tourism Interest Group, as well as with the Association of Black Anthropologists, and the Association for Feminist Anthropology.
“I consider myself both a scholar and activist,” Dr. Battle-Baptiste said. “In that regard, I plan on accelerating the pace of change envisioned in the Association’s new five-year plan, including taking definitive, actionable steps regarding inclusion, equity, and diversity in our membership and advancing the field through a broad range of career pathways.”
“Whitney has a wonderful history of service to the Association and to the discipline,” added outgoing AAA President Akhil Gupta. “These experiences will serve her well in her efforts to shape the future of the Association.”
As AAA President, Dr. Battle-Baptiste said she also hopes to use the Association’s full convening power to facilitate a larger public role for anthropology.