Heidi Kelley
Professor
Department of Sociology
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804-8505
828 251-6980
hkelley@unca.edu
Biographical Information for Dr. Kelley:
| Education: | ||
| Ph.D., University of Washington | ||
| M.A., University of Washington | ||
| B.A., Lawrence University | ||
| Personal Statement: | ||
| I grew up in Wisconsin in a tiny, tiny town (pop. 750) near Green Bay. My college roommate thought it was funny that Mishicot (my hometown) didn't have a single stoplight (she was from Chicago). My roommate also persuaded me to take "Anthropological Perspectives on Women." I hadn't the faintest idea what anthropology was. I thought vaguely it had something to do with digging or studying exotic lands. I judged anthropology irrelevant to my life and thought about majoring in English or Biology. I was wrong! Anthropology has everything to do with understanding what it means to be human. I went on to major in anthropology and take my doctorate in anthropology too, at the University of Washington in Seattle (a city with many traffic lights!) I did my fieldwork in Spain, in the north westernmost region called Galicia. My original fieldwork lasted for two years but I returned many times since then to visit old friends and conduct more research. I have been teaching at UNCA since 1990. For many years, I was the only anthropologist and I taught many anthropology classes. Then, in 1998 I had a life-changing event: I suffered a massive stroke. The rest of that year (98-99) was spent engaging in rehab (the most difficult challenge yet in my life). In 99-00, I worked quarter-time as the Director of International Programs and in 00-01, I plan to work full-time, half-time as the Liberal Arts Learning and Disability Services Coordinator (a new position) and half-time as a teacher. In the summer of 2000, my husband, Ken Betsalel, and I attended the first-ever National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on Disability Studies in San Francisco for five weeks. (Disability Studies is an emerging, interdisciplinary field [similar to Women's Studies] combining literature, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, etc.) I am working on an article about death in Galicia and writing poetry (a new interest). My dream is to write a book about my experiences with my stroke, weaving in interviews with other young stroke survivors. |