About

Thomas Malaby (PhD 1998, Harvard) is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research interest is in the ever-changing relationships among institutions, unpredictability, and technology, especially as they are realized through games and game-like processes. He has published numerous and widely-cited works on the status of games in human experience. Dr. Malaby’s work suggests that the increasing use of digital games by institutions marks a fundamental transition in modern governance. His book, Making Virtual Worlds: Linden Lab and Second Life(2009, Cornell University Press), is an ethnographic examination of a San Francisco high tech firm. Many of his publications are listed at his academia.edu site.

With Professor Stuart Moulthrop (UWM, English), in 2018 he founded the Digital Cultures Collaboratory, hosted by the UWM Center for 21st Century Studies. The collaboratory serves graduate students in English and Anthropology as well as the broader UWM campus community.