About Jennifer Cearns

Public and Visual Anthropology

Jennifer Cearns has co-curated the 'Illustrating Anthropology' online exhibition with Laura Haapio-Kirk, supported by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI), exploring human experiences through visual media.[1][3][5][10] As RAI Leach Fellows in Public Anthropology, they developed new teaching resources to make anthropology accessible.[4] Her profile highlights research in Latin America (Brazil, Cuba, Guyana, Panama, Mexico, and Cuban diaspora in the U.S.), following material culture and digital practices.[10]

AI, Technology, and Human Relationships

Cearns analyzes why young people turn to AI chatbots for friendship, noting their ease of access but warning of hidden emotional risks like heartbreak from AI interactions.[2][11][12] In BBC interviews, she addresses Gen Z's 'loneliness crisis,' where users like one speaking to ChatGPT 8 times daily reveal over-reliance on non-reciprocal tech bonds.[11][12]

Ethnography and Material/Digital Culture in Latin America and Diaspora

Her ethnographic research in Miami and Havana focuses on overlooked Cuban groups, material/digital circulations, and practices of culture.[6][9] 'Circulating Culture' draws on this fieldwork to highlight marginalized voices.[6] Early work reflects on 'competitive hardship' and ethnographic guilt in early-career fieldwork pressures.[9]

Early Editorial and Linguistic Work

As Founder and Editor of 'Translated Voices,' Cearns, then finishing degrees in English and Portuguese at Oxford, bridged languages and cultures.[8]

Professional Trajectory and Publications

Featured in University Press of Florida for 'Circulating Culture,' positioning her as an emerging voice in Cuban studies.[7] Current role: Lecturer at University of Manchester, blending AI/ML with anthropology, music/arts.