Lærke Cecilie Anbert

Lærke holds a M.Sc in anthropology from the University of Copenhagen, and a M.Sc. in Gender Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has previously worked as an external lecturer at the University of Copenhagen, Department of Anthropology. Lærke is is currently a visiting scholar at the Center of Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) at UC Berkeley.

Lærke is interested in the new social-justice oriented activism that is currently happening on campuses worldwide, such as student activists calling for so-called “de-naming” of campus buildings to avoid racist and colonial connotations, decolonizing of curricula, no-platforming and demonstrations to prevent what they deem to be “hate-speech”.  

As part of a wider comparative study, this research project aims to explore the negotiations around students’ claims and actions for a more socially just university, looking specifically at anti-racist activism at UC Berkeley.

Previously, Lærke has conducted fieldwork in the UK on military remembrance practices and the construction of national unity and imaginaries. Further she has conducted fieldwork on community building in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.

The project is funded by the Danish Independt Research Fund as part of the larger project: "Fighting for e/quality: Comparative ethnographies of new student movements"