The Friends of the University Library welcome anthropologist and author Anand Pandian to the Charles Martell Author Lecture stage. Pandian will be presenting his book Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life, and How to Take Them Down.
As an honored Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Anthropology, Pandian uses his studies, teachings, and writings to bring awareness to socio-cultural forms of humans, ecological matters, and creating relationships beyond boundaries.
Since 2016, Pandian has been researching the social and political divides facing American society. From climate change to issues of migrants and refugees, Something Between Us focuses on the indifferences found in American life and how we can move towards a more united future.
From South Dakota to New York, Pandian crosses the United States making encounters with individuals with differing backgrounds and commitments from truck drivers, police officers, and activist. This exploration allows Pandian as a socio-cultural anthropologist and professor to acknowledge Americas social and political divides and suggests that communal efforts of caretaking and empathy are necessary strategies to make change.
As we find our roles in society, this lecture invites you to consider the segregated world in front of us and how concepts of united empathy, culture, and nurturing can bring us together.
DATE: Thursday, November 12, 2026
TIME: 1-2 PM
LOCATION: Zoom (with subtitles)
REGISTER
Further information and interviews:
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation – ABC Listen: How the US got so divided
- USA Today – The Excerpt: Can shared public spaces bridge the American divide?
- KJZZ Phoenix – The Show: To understand how the U.S. became so polarized, an anthropologist looked to the concept of walls
This event will have subtitles, to request additional accommodations such as ASL interpretation, please contact lib-events@csus.edu by at least ten (10) business days in advance of the event or as soon as possible.