Ph.D. Candidate Syd González Profiled in SAPIENS Anthropology Newsletter
November 15, 2024
From SAPIENS Anthropology Newsletter 11/15/2024
ANTHROPOLOGIST PROFILE
Could you introduce yourself?
My name is Syd González (they/them). I am a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the department of anthropology at Northwestern University. Currently, I live in my hometown and field site of Houston, Texas, with my overly energetic 8-year-old orange tabby.
Can you describe your research in 10 words or less?
Masculinity and joy in Latine Houston, Texas.
How did you first get involved in the field?
My sister took an anthropology class in undergrad and told me I would enjoy it, so I immediately changed my major from English to anthropology.
What is one of your favorite memories from your research/time in the field?
In September 2024, I helped make ojos de dios (a colorful, cross-shaped yarn weaving also known as a God’s eye) with the Houston-based Danza Azteca group Itzcoatl Tezkatlipoka. We chatted, laughed, and ate delicious barbacoa tacos as we wound yarn around skewers and phones to make tassels. The ojos de dios were used in our calpulli’s (community’s) ceremony this October.
A favorite museum or a museum you visited that left an impression?
Te Papa in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Do you have hope for humanity?
Yes. At the root of my work is joy—and at the root of that is hope. I believe that if we give up hope on all who make up “humanity” not only are we allowing the oppressors, colonizers, bigots, and others to win, but we are also not acknowledging all the work marginalized communities have put into experiencing life euphorically.