about anuli
Multifaceted.
Transdisciplinary.
Beyond Category.
Cultural Anthropologist. Cultural Worker.
“As a cultural worker who belongs to an oppressed people my job is to make revolution irresistible. One of the ways I attempt to do that is by celebrating those victories within the black community. And I think the mere fact that we’re still breathing is a cause for celebration. Also my job is to critique the reactionary behavior within the community and to keep certain kinds of calls out there: the children, our responsibility of children, our responsibility to maintain some kind of continuity from the past. But I think for any artist your job is determined by the community you’re identifying with.”
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Anuli Akanegbu (pronounced: Ah-noo-lee A-ka-nay-boo) is a cultural anthropologist, researcher and writer based in Atlanta who studies identity, creativity and labor in the American South. Her primary research interests lie at the intersection of cultural anthropology, identity studies, history, and creative methodologies, focusing on labor and creative production. She is currently a researcher for the Labor Futures program at the Data & Society Research Institute where her work focuses on the intersection of labor, race, and technology.
With a unique blend of academic training and marketing experience, Anuli approaches projects as a subject matter expert and strategic thinker, helping to bridge the gap between scholarly insights and practical applications. Her doctoral dissertation research project, The South Got Something to Share: A Behind-the-Screens Look at the Work/Lives of Black Creative Contract Workers in Atlanta, was supported in part by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research and forms the basis of her forthcoming book on the genealogy of creative contract work, its interaction with identity, and the role of imagination in Atlanta’s city branding efforts.
Anuli is dedicated to advancing public scholarship and ensuring that anthropological knowledge is accessible and relevant to diverse audiences. She has shaped discussions on social media, the arts, and cultural heritage preservation through her multimedia education platform, BLK IRL® and its podcast. Anuli earned her PhD in cultural anthropology from New York University in May 2024 following a successful career as a senior strategist and brand planner at the global public relations and marketing firm Edelman. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and culture from Howard University.
a lil more personal
I am going to speak in the first person now because you obviously came here to learn more about me. It is hard to craft an about page that captures the fullness of a person’s humanity beyond job titles and professional experience. Who am I? What do I care about? These are the questions that we spend our lifetime trying to answer. One exercise I did in service of getting to learn more about who I am and how I am received by others was to ask a selection of people in my life to describe me as if they were introducing me to a stranger. Their answers really affirmed things that I appreciate most about myself. They did a good job of speaking to multiple aspects of my personality. The responses are below. Enjoy learning even more about me.
