Susan A. Phillips

Susan A. Phillips
Born1969 (age 55–56)
Academic background
EducationCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
ThesisThe politics of Los Angeles gang graffiti (1998)
Academic work
DisciplineAnthropology
InstitutionsPitzer College
Main interestsGraffiti
Notable worksThe City Beneath

Susan A. Phillips (born 1969)[1] is an American anthropologist and criminologist who works as a professor of environmental analysis at Pitzer College.[2] She is known for research on graffiti,[3][4] and her books on gangs and graffiti.[5][6][4]

Dr. Phillips article on redlining and gang neighborhoods in Los Angeles with Professor Stefano Bloch was shortlisted as one of the best articles of 2022 in Urban Studies (journal).[7]

Education and career

Phillips graduated in 1990 from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a bachelor's degree in civilizations. She then went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for graduate study in anthropology, earning a master's degree in 1994 and completing a Ph.D. in 1998.[8]

After continuing at UCLA as a lecturer for four more years, and also working as a lecturer at the ArtCenter College of Design, she became an assistant professor at Pitzer College in 2002.[8] In 2016, as an associate professor, she was named a Getty Scholar by the Getty Research Institute.[9]

Books

Phillips' books include:

  • Wallbangin': Graffiti and Gangs in L.A. (1999),[5]
  • Operation Fly Trap: L. A. Gangs, Drugs, and the Law (2012),[6] and
  • The City Beneath: A Century of Los Angeles Graffiti (2019)[4][10]

References

  1. ^ Birth year from copyright page of Operation Fly Trap: L. A. Gangs, Drugs, and the Law
  2. ^ "Susan Phillips", Faculty Directory & Profiles, Pitzer College, retrieved 2019-12-28
  3. ^ Anthropologist Discovers 100-Year-Old Graffiti By 'America's Most Famous Hobo', NPR, June 11, 2016
  4. ^ a b c Morrison, Patt (August 7, 2019), "Why good old graffiti thrives in the Internet age – especially in L.A. (interview with Phillips)", Los Angeles Times
  5. ^ a b Wallbangin': Graffiti and Gangs in L.A. (University of Chicago Press, 1999, ISBN 9780226667720). Reviews:
  6. ^ a b Operation Fly Trap: L. A. Gangs, Drugs, and the Law (University of Chicago Press, 2012, ISBN 9780226667676). Reviews:
  7. ^ Bloch, Stefano; Phillips, Susan A. (2022). "Mapping and making gangland: A legacy of redlining and enjoining gang neighbourhoods in Los Angeles". Urban Studies. 59 (4): 750–770. Bibcode:2022UrbSt..59..750B. doi:10.1177/00420980211010426.
  8. ^ a b Curriculum vitae, 2012, retrieved 2019-12-28
  9. ^ 2016/17: Art and Anthropology (Research Institute), Getty Research Institute, retrieved 2019-12-28
  10. ^ The City Beneath: A Century of Los Angeles Graffiti (Yale University Press, 2019, ISBN 9780300246032)