Beth Derderian

I am a cultural anthropologist who writes and teaches about the politics of museums, archaeology, and culture.

I have a PhD in cultural anthropology from Northwestern University, an MA in Near Eastern & Museum Studies from NYU, and a BA in English Lit & French from Seattle University.

I am currently the Renée and Lester Crown Chair Assistant Professor of Modern Middle East Studies & Anthropology at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University. From 2020-2025, I was an assistant professor of anthropology & museum studies at the College of Wooster, and a postdoctoral associate at Yale University’s Council on Middle East Studies. I was a Fulbright researcher in the UAE, and a recipient of the Shaikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi Foundation doctoral research grant. Prior to academe, I worked at University of Southern California and the Getty Conservation Institute.