Maddalena Canna

Maddalena Canna

Assistant Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology
Director, Transatlantic Forum
PhD: School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) - Paris, France
research interests:
  • global health, anthropology of consciousness, embodiment, gender and sexuality, medical anthropology, diversity in the DSM, Afro-Latin studies, transcultural psychiatry, ethnographic theory, theory of interdisciplinarity, graphic and non-verbal methods for the social sciences

contact info:

mailing address:

  • Washington University
    CB 1114
    One Brookings Drive
    St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

Assistant Professor Maddalena Canna (she/hers) is a sociocultural anthropologist specializing in global mental health, transcultural psychiatry, and the social studies of medicine. Her work explores the interplay between embodiment and consciousness, also called the “mind-body connection” across cultures. She has been conducting research in Afro-Indigenous societies (Nicaragua and Central America), in the US/Canada, and at a global scale.

Current projects:
-A community-engaged study on the psycho-physical effects of urban renewal, in St.Louis and globally 

Languages:  English, French, Italian, Spanish

Selected Publications:
Canna, Maddalena. "Visceral Visions: Rethinking Embodiment and Desire in Global Mental Health." Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry 47.1 (2023): 132-51.
Canna, Maddalena, and Rebecca Seligman. "Dealing with the Unknown. Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and the Conversion of Cultural Meaning." Social Science & Medicine (1982) 246 (2020): 112725. Web.