Joseph H. Genz

Dr. Joe Genz

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. My passion for anthropology started when studying abroad in the Black Forest region of Germany during my undergraduate while enrolled at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and really blossomed after graduation when serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Samoa for two years.

A caring Samoan family welcomed me into their home as one of their own, and my host mother, Tupe, and brother, Puiaʻi, patiently guided me through the nuances of their language and customs. I became captivated by this cultural immersion into their lives. I didn’t realize at the time that such cross-cultural experiences and my growing awareness into both the connectivity and differences among cultures are the foundations of anthropological knowledge! These formative years in Samoa inspired me to pursue a PhD in anthropology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.