Lauren Elizabeth Miller, Ph.D.

Education

I received my Ph.D. (2010) and my M.A. (2008) degrees in cultural anthropology from Indiana University. My B.A. in anthropology was awarded at Texas A&M University (2003).

Research

My research takes an interdisciplinary approach to tourism, embodiment & performance in Latin America and the U.S. My first book, In Search of Legitimacy: How Outsiders Become Part of the Afro-Brazilian Capoeira Tradition (Berghahn Books, 2016), examines the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira and its international practitioners.  I coined the term “apprenticeship pilgrimage” to describe the journeys non-Brazilian capoeiristas make to Brazil as a way of alleviating anxieties about their ability to embody a foreign cultural tradition.Apprenticeship Pilgrimage is also the focus of a second book that I am currently working on with co-author Jonathan Marion. My writings have also appeared in the Journal of Sport and Tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, and Theatre Annual.

My more recent work has focused on issues of gender within martial arts, including issues related to sexual harassment and discrimination. I am interested in the connections between fear and trauma as they relate to various martial arts such as Brazilian jiujitsu as it is practiced in the US. I have also conducted research on culinary tourism, cultural heritage, and sustainability in Belize, which is a topic I would encourage prospective graduate students to pursue under my direction.

Dr. Miller’s latest book, Graceful Resistance, looks at the connections between capoeira and various acts of social justice.

Contact Information

My office is Holden Hall 275. Although I do hold regular office hours, I can best meet your needs if you schedule a meeting in advance and let me know what you wish to discuss. My email address is lauren.griffith@ttu.edu. My mailing address is:
Lauren E. Miller
Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work
Texas Tech University
Box 41012
2500 Broadway Avenue
Lubbock, TX 79409-1012