about me

I have multiple “homes” to which I owe key formative moments in my life.

I was born and raised in Tirana, Albania, growing up in the late-socialist period and the early years of postsocialist transformations. To this day, I miss the unique golden glow of the city’s low-rises at sunset and the melancholy sadness of the rain on its streets after the end of the immigrant season.

I studied in Canada for six years, first at Lester B. Pearson College (Victoria, BC), and at Trent University (Peterborough, ON). Both places provided me with an extended family of international friends and a passion for a life driven by intellectual curiosity.

From 2001 – 2012 I lived in New York City where I completed an M.A. in Political Sciences and a Ph.D. in Anthropology, both at the New School. During these years, I immersed myself in the city’s multiple worlds: among others, I was a barista in an East Village coffee shop, an audio-visual technician at the International House, I taught English as a second language to NYC immigrant communities, and taught liberal arts courses at various divisions of The New School, including Eugene Lang College, Parsons’ School of Design, and the then-Graduate Program in International Affairs.

From 2012-2014, I was Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Money, Technology, and Financial Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine. I worked with talented international scholars who worked on fintech and development in various parts across the global South. Whenever I could, I walked along the trails and explored the tide-pools of Crystal Cove State Park and tasted the delicious fish tacos at multiple joints in the Laguna Beach area.

I joined the department of Sociology and Anthropology at Ohio University in 2014. Here, I teach courses in economic anthropology, ethnographies of global capitalism, and cultures of the Mediterranean. Whenever I can, I explore the trails and caves of the Hocking Hills. I recently moved to Columbus, OH.

Email contact: musaraj[at]ohio.edu