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Dr. Gerber is a medical anthropologist and disability studies scholar. Her work examines the intersection between culture and the body. Her earlier work dealt with women’s reproductive health; her more recent work has focused on disability. This work understands disability as a social construction, and a key lens through which to examine culture. There are both theoretical contributions and practical applications to her work. See the links below for more detail about some of her projects.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

“Just Listen to Us: Applied findings for MSU from the Disability Culture on Campus project,” Elaine Gerber & Talia Steinmetz, online White Paper, November 2024
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1grmGVb2vbHfZLutVRxJzX8eexKtGB3jK8jAxuT-y7CY/edit?usp=sharing

Williams, W., Steinmetz, T. and Elaine Gerber. "Artifacts of Ableism: Semiotics of the Built Environment and Disability Identity on University Campuses," Journal of Disability Studies in Education (forthcoming, JDSE-1092)

Gerber, Elaine. “Theater By The Blind: a retrospective look at an off-Broadway troupe, an international festival, and the making of disability culture”, Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, Volume 16[1]: Spring 2020. https://rdsjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/view/946

Gerber, Elaine. “Ableism and Its Discontents: Food as a form of power, control, and resistance among disabled people living in U.S. Institutions.” Food and Foodways, 28[1]: 1-21, 2020. DOI: 10.1080/07409710.2020.1718273 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07409710.2020.1718273

Gerber, Elaine. “Unbecoming Mother: Selected Notes on Miscarriage and Infertility.” Chapter 7, In Constructing (M)other: Narrative of Disability, Motherhood and the Politics of ‘Normal,’ edited by Priya Lalvani. Peter Lang, 2019. https://www.peterlang.com/view/9781433169793/chapter-008.xhtml

Gerber, Elaine, Kim Lynch, and Serena Anan. “Disability and Food” in Disability in American Life: an Encyclopedia of Concepts, Policies, and Controversies edited by Tamar Heller, Sarah Parker Harris, Carol Gill, and Robert Perry Gould. ABC-CLIO, December 2018. https://products.abc-clio.com/abc-cliocorporate/product.aspx?pc=A4617C

Gerber, Elaine. “How Bad Is Food Insecurity for Disabled Americans? It’s worse than the Census data show,” Invited blog, published by the SAFN (Society for Anthropology of Food and Nutrition), Feb 20, 2018. Available online at: https://foodanthro.com/?s=gerber

Gerber, Elaine. #EatDis Research Project: Executive Summary, August 2017.
https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~gerbere/food-disability-research-2017.1.html

Gerber, Elaine. Disability FEAST. Food Education, Access, Support, & Training by the World Institute on Disability (WID), 2015.
https://disabilityfeast.wordpress.com/home/foreword/

Gerber, Elaine. “Eating, Feeding, & Disability” in The Encyclopedia of Agricultural Ethics, Springer, edited by Paul B. Thompson and David M. Kaplan, 2012. Published online at: http://www.springerreference.com/docs/html/chapterdbid/307546.html

Gerber, Elaine. "Describing Tragedy: The Information Access Needs of Blind People during Emergency Situations," Human Organization, Volume 68[1]: 73-81, 2009. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44148538?seq=1


Kirchner, Corinne, Elaine Gerber, and Brooke Smith. “Designed to Deter: Community Barriers to Physical Activity for People with Visual or Motor Impairments”, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 34[4]:349 – 352, 2008. Online: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0749379708000068

Gerber, Elaine. “Food Studies and Disability Studies: Introducing a Happy Marriage” in Eat, Drink & Inclusion: The Politics of Disability & Food. Disability Studies Quarterly, Special Theme Issue, Volume 27[3], 2007. Published online at: http://www.dsq-sds.org/article/view/19/19

Gerber, Elaine. "Seeing Isn't Believing: Blindness, Race, and Cultural Literacy," The Senses & Society, 2[1]:27-40, 2007. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/174589207779996965

Gerber, Elaine and Brooke Smith. "Literacy & Controversy: Focus Group Data from Canada on Proposed Changes to the Braille Code (UEBC)," Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 100[8]:459-470, 2006. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.859.4436&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Gerber, Elaine. "The Benefits of and Barriers to Computer Use for Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired," Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 97[9]:536-550, 2003. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ676176

Gerber, Elaine and Corinne Kirchner, "Livable Communities Throughout the Life Course," Disability Studies Quarterly, 23[2]: 41-57, 2003. Available online at: http://www.dsq-sds-archives.org/_articles_pdf/2003/Spring/dsq_2003_Spring_06.pdf

Gerber, Elaine, "Deconstructing Pregnancy: Seeing ‘Eggs’ and the Ambiguity of Very Early Conceptions," Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 16[1]:92-108, 2002. http://medanthroquarterly.org/article/deconstructing-pregnancy-ru486-seeing-eggs-and-the-ambiguity-of-very-early-conceptions/


COURSES OFFERED AT MSU:

Multicultural America (ANTH110)
Introduction to Disability Studies, Rights, & Culture (ANTH 105)
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (ANTH 100)
Health & Healing in Cross-Cultural perspectives (ANTH 180)
Disability in US Popular Culture (ANTH 205)
Methods in Anthropological Research & Practice (ANTH 301)
Anthropology of Food & Nutrition (ANTH 330)
Medical Anthropology (ANTH 440)
Community & Health (ANTH 423/523)

Other Courses Taught: Embodiment and Disability; Disability, Health, & Community; Qualitative Research Methods; The Anthropology of Food; Culture and Medicine; The Politics & Culture of Reproductive Technologies; Reproduction and the Law; Introduction to Anthropology; Introduction to Physical Anthropology; Origins of Society

Resume/CV

Research Projects