Research Expertise and Interest

Latin America, Mexico, social anthropology, comparative ethnography of law, dispute resolution, conflict, controlling processes, comparative family organizations, the anthropology of professional mind-sets, ethnology of the Middle East, contemporary U.S.

Research Description

Nader's current work focuses on how central dogmas are made and how they work in law, energy science, and anthropology. Harmony, Ideology—Injustice and Control in a Mountain Zapotec Village (1990) and The Life of the Law: Anthropological Projects (2002) indicate a wide range of interests in law that has moved from village sites into national and international arenas. Energy Choices in a Democratic Society (1980) is the initial work that has continued on in the area of energy and resources culminating in Naked Science—Anthropological Inquiry into Boundaries, Power, and Knowledge (1996). This work reflects a theoretical perspective that crosses disciplinary boundaries. Essays in Controlling Processees (1994, 1996, 2002) is ongoing work that attempts to synthesize contemporary work on power and control. Nader is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1995 the Law and Society Association awarded her the Kalven Prize for distinguished research on law and society.