Rate My Professor David Knowlton

David Knowlton is a Professor of Anthropology in the Behavioral Science Department at Utah Valley University, where he has served since 2002, first as Associate Professor from 2002 to 2010 and then as full Professor since 2010. He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988 with a dissertation titled “Searching Minds and Questing Hearts: Protestantism and Social Context in Bolivia,” an M.A. in Anthropology from the same institution in 1982, and a B.A. in Anthropology magna cum laude from the University of Utah in 1978. A sociocultural anthropologist, Knowlton specializes in the anthropology of Latin America with a focus on the Andes, the anthropology of Mormonism, and social theory. His research interests include the anthropology of religion encompassing Mormonism, Protestantism, and Andean indigenous religions, as well as social change, ethnicity, globalization, kinship, ethics, and political economy in Bolivia, Mexico, Peru, and Chile.

Prior to his tenure at Utah Valley University, Knowlton held positions including Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Brigham Young University (1990–1994), Visiting Assistant Professor at Colorado College (1994–1996), University of Utah (1999–2002), and Washington University (1988–1990), among others. He has contributed extensively to Mormon studies and Latin American anthropology through numerous publications. Notable works include “Lamanites, Apologetics, and Tensions in Mormon Anthropology” in Perspectives on Mormon Theology: Apologetics (2017), “Global standards vs. local practices: LDS and drinking in rural Bolivia” in Mormonism: The Basics (2016), “Mormonism in Latin America” in The Mormon World (2012), “Hands Raised Up: Power, and Context in Bolivian Mormonism” in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (2007), “Mormonism and Guerrillas in Bolivia” in Journal of Mormon History (2007), and “How Many Members Are There Really? Two Censuses and the Meaning of LDS Membership in Chile and Mexico” in Dialogue (2005). Knowlton is a Fulbright alumnus and has delivered academic lectures such as “Anthropology of Mexico” and presentations on Peru in UVU's Global Spotlight series, as well as participated in Ethics Awareness Week events. His scholarship examines the social organization of transnational religion, socioeconomic correlates of religious membership in Latin America, the phenomenology of Mormon life, and neoliberalism's relation to social movements in Bolivia.