People

Karla L. Davis-Salazar

Associate Professor

Contact

Office: SOC 156C
Email: karladavis@usf.edu

Education

  • Ph.D., Anthropology, Harvard University
  • A.M., Anthropology, Harvard University
  • B.A., French Language and Literature, University of Michigan

Teaching

Introduction to Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Teaching Anthropology, Anthropology and Higher Education.

Research

After serving as an associate dean in 木瓜视频's Office of Undergraduate Studies for four years, I find universities to be fascinating social and cultural systems. Academia and administration truly are different worlds, and learning to 鈥渄o鈥� administration is a transformative process. My research on higher education therefore seeks to leverage the strengths of anthropology for both leading universities and understanding university leadership. Among my research projects, I have applied anthropological theory and methods to understand how academic administrators learn to perform their role and adjust to their changed positionality in the university. I am currently investigating how anthropological perspectives, values, ethics, and skills are applied to academic administration by anthropologists serving as university administrators.

Recent Publications

  • Davis-Salazar, Karla L. and Emma Abell-Selby. 2025. From Rhetoric to Reality: Why We Need an Anthropology of Higher Education Policy. American Anthropologist 127(2): 361-364.
  • Davis-Salazar, Karla L. 2024. . Learning and Teaching 17(1): 54-76.
  • Davis-Salazar, Karla L. 2024. . Journal of Educational Administration and History, 1-20.
  • Davis-Salazar, Karla L. 2023. . Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 45(6): 674-689.

Graduate Students

Emma Abell-Selby, and Clara Buie.