WIlliam Robertson - Department of Anthropology
About Dr. Robertson
Broadly, I am interested in the historical and contemporary forces that shape cultural
norms concerning bodies, genders, and sexualities. My research sits at the intersections
of critical medical anthropology, queer theory, and science & technology studies.
LGBTQ+ people's needs and desires are centered across my research projects. My PhD
dissertation work, based on 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork in an anal cancer
prevention clinic in Chicago, developed a queer theory of care to challenge heteronormative
logics subtly undergirding medical care and anthropological scholarship on care. That
project put Mary Douglas' classic anthropological theories of dirt/pollution and taboo
into conversation with more recent work from queer and trans theory, especially concerning
issues of embodiment, heteronormativity, and humor. My earlier Master's Thesis work
examined the experiences of queer medical students as they were socialized into medical
professionalism and developed a heteronormative medical gaze.
More recently, I worked with Dr. Lindsey Feldman (University of Arizona) on a project
in Memphis examining sexual health education among people in re-entry after or diversion
from incarceration. That project, funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation and a UofM
College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Research Grant, involved collaboration with a
local non-profit, The Haven, for whom we did program evaluations and needs assessments
as well as collected data on the meanings of care and the LGBTQ+-affirming approach
their sexual health education program took.
I currently run an applied anthropology summer field school with Dr. Jill Fleuriet
(The University of Texas at San Antonio) that focuses on important issues of community,
arts, and health, and trains students in applied ethnographic methods with community
partners in Memphis and San Antonio.
I am always excited to hear from potential students, so don’t hesitate to reach out
if you are thinking of applying to our program, or if you are a student looking for
some research experience with my current projects (listed below). I am especially
interested in advising students on projects related to LGBTQ+ issues (health or otherwise),
clinical ethnographic work, critical studies of medical education and clinical research,
arts and health, and critical AI studies.
Expertise & Interests
LGBTQ+ health; anthropology of care; queer and trans anthropology; the body and embodiment;
risk; critical studies of biomedical research, education, and expertise; clinical
ethnography; health and the arts; critical AI studies
Current Research Projects
Camp Resistance: This project, in partnership with Friends of George’s (https://friendsofgeorges.org), examines the impacts of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation on the wellbeing of queer and trans
people in Memphis, with special emphasis on the ways LGBTQ+ people in Memphis develop
resilience and build community in the face of such necropolitical attacks. This project
has two main aims: (1) create an archive to document and preserve the history and
present of Friends of George’s (FOG) as a LGBTQ+ Memphian institution; and (2) investigate
and document how LGBTQ+ Memphians are living with, coping with, responding to, suffering
from, and resisting ongoing national and state political attacks on LGBTQ+ people
and communities, especially through using drag as a form of mutual aid and community
care.
Creativity, Connectivity, and Care: This project is an applied ethnographic field school in collaboration with my colleague
Dr. Jill Fleuriet at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Each summer, the field
school partners with two local community arts organizations, one in Memphis and one
in San Antonio, to conduct applied research useful to the organizations while also
teaching students engaged/applied community-based research methods. In addition to
conducting applied work for our community partners, we collect academic data on the
impacts of arts programming on the health and wellbeing of community members, with
a particular focus on how community arts can function as sources of care. Our community
partners so far include:
- 2025: The Stax Museum of Soul Music in Memphis (https://staxmuseum.org) and The San Pedro Playhouse in San Antonio (https://www.sanpedroplayhouse.org)
- 2026: Overton Park Shell (https://overtonparkshell.org) and The Carver Community Cultural Center (https://thecarver.org)
Critical AI Studies Research Cluster: My colleague Dr. Ted Maclin and I have formed the University of Memphis Critical AI Studies Research Cluster (link to /anthropology/research-focus/critical_ai.php) and are currently developing an applied ethnographic project to document and investigate
the ongoing ethical, political, and environmental problems related to the xAI factories
in South Memphis. Additionally, we are interested in taking a critical approach to
studying and understanding AI/Large Language Models in ways that cut through the hype
and open up conversations about the profound (and, we would argue, very harmful) impacts
AI/LLMs are having on society. Any UofM community members who are interested in joining
the Critical AI Studies Research Cluster can email me or Ted for more information.
Courses Taught
ANTH 1200 – Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 3511 – Culture/Kin/Family
ANTH 4065 – Anthropological Theory
ANTH 4511 – Medical Anthropology
ANTH 4419/6419 – Queer Anthropology
ANTH 4521/6521 – Culture, Society, and Mental Health
ANTH 7076 – Data Analysis & Writing
ANTH 7511 – Critically Applied Medical Anthropology
UNHP 1100 (Honors Forum) – Dungeons & Dragons: An Academic Adventure