Robert “Bobby” Ortiz Stahl is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the David Minkus Memorial Graduate Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues. His dissertation examines how unhealthy housing becomes a governable problem through the intersecting practices of expert intervention, advocacy, and "policywork" in Oakland, California. Drawing on ethnographic research with policy and public health experts, housing advocates and affected tenants, Bobby traces how public policy solutions can both reflect and reshape the evidentiary, ethical, and imaginative terms through which housing-related illnesses and harms are recognized, addressed, and reproduced. Prior to beginning his PhD program, Bobby completed his Master of Public Health degree at UC Berkeley and studied urban geography as an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin. Bobby is originally from the Texas-Mexico border but has called the Bay Area home for nearly two decades; he, his partner, and two young children are proud to call Oakland home.
Department and Institution:
Anthropology, UC Berkeley
Bio/CV:
