Shannon Lee Dawdy facts for kids

Shannon Lee Dawdy is an American expert who studies people, history, and old things. She is a professor at the University of Chicago. She is also a special award winner called a MacArthur Fellow.

Her School Journey

Shannon Dawdy studied a lot! She earned her PhD (a very high degree) in anthropology and history from the University of Michigan. She also got a master's degree (MA) in history from the same university.

Before that, she earned another MA in anthropology from the College of William and Mary. Her first degree, a bachelor's (BA) in anthropology, was from Reed College.

What She Studies

Shannon Dawdy is a professor at the University of Chicago. She teaches about anthropology and social sciences. Her research mainly focuses on the Americas.

She has a special interest in the city of New Orleans. She studies its history from when it was first settled until today.

Her Research Topics

Professor Dawdy's work looks at several interesting areas:

• How people traded and worked: This includes looking at how money and goods moved around, even through unofficial ways like piracy.
• City places: She studies how cities are built and change over time.
• People and objects: She explores the connections between humans and the things they use or create.
• Time: She examines how people understand and experience the past, present, and future.

Newest Projects

Her most recent work is about how people in the U.S. think about and deal with death today. This project includes both a film and a book.

The film is called I Like Dirt. She made it with Daniel Zox. Her book is titled American Afterlives: Reinventing Death in the Twenty-first Century. It came out in 2021.

Shannon Dawdy writes for both other experts and for general readers.

Awards and Support

In 2010, Professor Dawdy was named a MacArthur Fellow. This is a very important award given to talented people. She has also received help for her research from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation.