Anthropology Professor Chosen for Prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award

Brian Brazeal Will Travel to Sri Lanka to Document the Country’s Gemstone Trading Industry  

CSU, Chico is pleased to announce that Brian Brazeal, professor of anthropology, has a been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award for the 2021–22 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.  

One of the most widely recognized and prestigious scholarships in the world, the Fulbright award will allow Brazeal to travel to Sri Lanka in fall 2021 to study and document the country’s unique place in the global gemstone industry. Sri Lanka will be the ninth country he’s visited to study the economic, environmental and cultural effects of the global gemstone mining and trading industry.   

A professor at CSU, Chico since 2007, Brazeal is the founder and director of the University’s Advanced Laboratory for Visual Anthropology (ALVA). He provides students the unique opportunity to collaborate and produce anthropological documentary films. Several ALVA films have been featured on PBS, and the lab won a Northern California Area Emmy in 2017. In 2016, Brazeal produced and directed “Illusions in Stone,” a documentary filmed in Brazil, Colombia, India, Israel, New York and Zambia that tells the story of the global emerald trade. 

“I have traveled all over the world because anthropology is based on fieldwork. I’m fortunate because I get to bring ALVA filmmaking techniques with me to capture the people who are doing the daily work that propels this industry,” said Brazeal. “The global mining and trading of precious gemstones is full of danger, uncertainty and illegality. However, in Sri Lanka I’m hoping to capture the country’s inspirational approach to mining for rubies and sapphires.”  

Sri Lanka’s gem-bearing gravels, called illam, are some of the richest in the world. The gravels yield sapphires, rubies and many other gemstones. Unlike many countries, it has embraced environmentally sustainable mining, ethical sourcing practices, and just laws that uplift the local population. Sri Lanka’s gemstone industry also presents a model of inter-religious and inter-ethnic cooperation, with Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus working side-by-side to mine, treat and trade stones. As an anthropologist who teaches and studies religion, Brazeal is excited to share their stories with the world. 

Brazeal is one of more than 800 U.S. citizens who will conduct research abroad for the 2021–22 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.  

“It’s an incredible honor be selected for a Fulbright award. We are extremely proud of Brian’s accomplishments and grateful for his contributions as an esteemed member of our faculty,” said Georgia Fox, anthropology department chair at CSU, Chico. “We are looking forward to him furthering his fascinating research into the global ruby and sapphire industry, and then bringing that real-world experience back to our students at Chico State.” 

Brazeal has been recognized several times by the University for his dedication to students and to his field. In 2017, the University awarded him the Professional Achievement Honor, and in 2016, he received the Outstanding Research Mentor Award. He currently holds the David and Helen Lantis University Chair. Brazeal earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Reed College, and his master’s degree and PhD in anthropology from the University of Chicago. 

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enabled more than 390,000 dedicated and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and find solutions to shared international concerns.  

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.