Dr. Hatfield

This week I had the chance to talk to Dr. Hatfield, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Andrews. Dr. Hatfield is passionate about topics of diversity and belonging in her work and loves to engage her students in all aspects of the behavioral sciences! Read more to learn about her approach to teaching as well as her hobbies outside of work. 

What drew you to anthropology? 

Anthropology is the study of human culture, of all people, in all places, at all times. Cultural anthropologists work from theoretical approaches grounded in active research interactions to better understand the many ways there are to be human. I love that God is here, that His vast creativity extends to the very ways our lives and cultures are shaped, and that we, human cultures and communities, have an active part in shaping human social life. The most hopeful part of understanding that our social worlds are culturally constructed is knowing that we are actively making things the way they are. And if we can make it, when needed, we can change it.

Tell us which classes you teach and a little bit about them!

Among the undergraduate classes I teach are Cultural Anthropology, which is an ACE course, Anthropologies in Motion, and What is Other for the Honors Program. I also teach courses in Qualitative Research, Community and International Development, and Anthropological Archaeology. My master’s courses for the Community and International Development Program are courses in Migrant and Refugee Studies, Global Health and Development, Children and Youth in Development, and Cultural and Development Anthropology. Each of these courses in various ways explores how social, economic, political, religious, environmental, and institutional contexts shape our lives and experiences.

What is your favorite part of being a professor at Andrews?

All of you, of course! I think humans are the most interesting creatures on the planet. Anthropology at Andrews University offers the opportunity to talk about human social life in the context of faith and of a God who loves and saves us. I can hardly imagine anything better.

Do you have any interesting projects that you have been working on lately?

While I successfully completed a PhD project using care as an analytic framework, I was at a conference recently where a conversation with a colleague made me realize that a previous framework I had been considering was actually the key framework for situating my findings. I have supporting literature. Now, I need to write the ethnography. I am excited by the possibility but also intimidated by the size of the project. Writing the book is big!

Who is someone who inspires you?

I study and am inspired by everyday forms of activism: the friend who speaks up for you, the local organization that provides education and support, the volunteers who show up week after week to make sure there is food, shelter, healthcare, or a shoulder to lean on. They may be a grandparent. Maybe they work in more formal kinds of activism. These are the people who give us hope on our hardest days. They make the world a better kinder place. 

What is one thing you hope each student learns in your classes?

I hope students leave my classes knowing three things. First, that they are seen and valued. Second, that they are not alone. Third, that there is a God who loves us, accepts us, and wants to be with us.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is conducting research?

Find a project you love and that matters to you. Research can be difficult work but if you love your project, if you know it’s important, you will get through the hardest days. Work with what matters to you.

What are your recent interests?

A few years ago, I went on my first long backpacking trip. My son, my daughter, and I hiked 320 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon. It was a phenomenal experience. I can’t wait to get back to the trail.

Do you have any unusual hobbies? 

I love playing my guitar and riding my motorcycle, though I don’t have as much time as I would like for either. 

Out of all the places that you have traveled to, which is your favorite, and why is it your favorite?

I love to travel. You could put me on a plane, train, or boat to about anywhere and I would be happy! 

What is one piece of media that you would recommend and why?

That’s a hard question. There are so many great answers. It’s cliché I know, but I love Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” Tolkien wrote in the middle of World War II. He knew what death looked like. He knew the cost of doing right when the stakes are everything. Yet he writes of everyday courage, of friendship, of hope that surprises us, and light that carries us. His work never fails to inspire and encourage me.