Assistant Professor, San José State University and Arizona State University
Melissa.Beresford@asu.edu
Melissa Beresford is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at San José State University and affiliated adjunct faculty in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology at Arizona State University, her M.A. in Social Science from the University of Chicago, and her B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning from the University of California, San Diego.
As an economic anthropologist, Dr. Beresford’s research investigates how people respond to economic inequality and resource insecurity. To date, her work has examined the cultural politics of entrepreneurship and economic development initiatives, informal and diverse urban economies, and urban water insecurity. She is also an anthropological methodologist, focused on researching and innovating methods for qualitative data analysis. Her fieldwork is primarily based in Cape Town, South Africa, however, she has collaborated on research in Latin America, the United States, and in a cross-cultural context.