American Studies Welcomes Jan Padios

The Department of American Studies is proud to introduce Professor Jan Padios, our latest addition to our nationally recognized faculty.

The Department of American Studies is proud to introduce Professor Jan Padios, our latest addition to our nationally recognized faculty. Coming to us from our successful search in Transnational American Studies, Professor Padios received her Ph.D. in American Studies from New York University‚s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis.

After a brief summer break, Professor Padios is currently drafting an article for a forthcoming anthology. In it, Professor Padios examines the shared concerns of American studies and anthropology, and explores what the fields can do for each other in studying U.S. imperialism. An engaged ethnographer, Professor Padios explained that ‚ethnography appeals to my deep curiosity about how people make meaning within, assign value to, and otherwise construct elements within their social worlds.‚ One of her goals for this year is to conduct the additional research‚ìboth in the books and in the field‚ìto turn her dissertation into a book.

She first came upon her project on a research trip to archives and libraries in Manila. While there, she noticed the abundance of call center workers hanging out in local shopping malls, and began to explore their relationship to global networks and consumer cultures. Her resulting dissertation, Listening Between the Lines: Culture, Difference, and Immaterial Labor in the Philippine Call Center Industry was nominated by NYU‚s Program in American Studies for the 2012 American Studies Association‚s Ralph Henry Gabriel Dissertation Prize.

Outside of her many responsibilities as a faculty member, Professor Padios loves karaoke, watching and talking about television, and foraging for great eats with friends. Please stop by her office in 2103 Holzapfel Hall and join us in welcoming her to the Department!