Sarah Renkert

Sarah Renkert is an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Anthropology. She is an applied cultural anthropologist who teaches courses on community engagement, practicing anthropology, design anthropology, and food studies. Renkert works with the Space for Practice Lab (S4P), which aims to serve as a campus and community center for collaborative anthropological praxis. Through S4P, Renkert coordinates undergraduate internship experiences with organizations such as Feedback, Robinsons’ Equine Therapy and Riding, and Sustainability Central. She also works with anthropology students to build and maintain a Storybank for Food Finders Food Bank and conduct PhotoVoice research on campus food security.

Renkert has extensive research experience in South America and the U.S. Southwest. She is currently conducting research on food aid politics in Huaycán, Lima, Peru, and has studied community tourism in Peru’s Colca Valley and Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park. Her research across Arizona and New Mexico has focused on food systems, food security, diaper need, and Indigenous land protection and representation.

Renkert received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Applied Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona. Having grown up in Indianapolis, Indiana, she received her B.A. from Indiana University Bloomington, where she studied Spanish and International Studies. Beyond academia, she has worked on a variety of education and food systems projects with organizations in Peru, Ecuador, Arizona, China, and Thailand.