Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow Angela Crumdy pursues intersection of anthropology and education

Penn GSE Postdoctoral Fellow Angela Crumdy conducting her dissertation fieldwork in Guantánamo, Cuba, in 2019.

Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow Angela Crumdy is a self-described “anthropologist of education” who studies teachers’ history, social lives, and careers in the Caribbean and the U.S., aiming to improve teacher experiences through that lens.

As a fellow in Penn GSE’s Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems Division, Crumdy conducts research and teaching during her final year of postdoctoral work.

“I want to use my interests and expertise to get more teachers in the classroom, particularly teachers of color,” Crumdy said.

The Penn Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program supports the next generation of faculty, scholars, and researchers through mentorship, teaching, funding, and support for research and publishing. The fellows work across Penn’s colleges, and Penn GSE currently hosts three Provost Fellows appointed for one- to three-year terms, working closely with faculty mentors.

Crumdy is in her third and final year of fellowship. Throughout the term, she has been expanding her doctoral dissertation — which focused on Black female educators and teacher shortages in Cuba — into a book and exploring educational experiences for Cubans on the island and in the U.S.

In addition, Crumdy collaborates with her advisor, Associate Professor Amalia Daché, on the lack of representation of Afro-Latinx faculty, staff, and students in education research. While at Penn, she started working on new research about Black teachers in the Philadelphia area and how local organizations are addressing the region’s teacher shortage.

As part of her Penn GSE experience, Crumdy and Daché co-taught The Americas: Caribbean and Afro-Latin Education Studies to graduate and undergraduate students. This was Crumdy’s first time teaching grad students.

A three-month study abroad trip to Cuba in her junior year at the University of Michigan sparked her interest in Cuban anthropology. After graduation, Crumdy joined Teach for America and spent two years teaching English in Dallas. She then returned to anthropology, earning her doctorate from the CUNY Graduate Center. Her passion for teaching and anthropology inspired her decision to pursue postdoctoral roles.

Penn GSE stood out by offering an opportunity to pursue both passions. “I was very interested in education and the intersections with anthropology,” she said. “I wanted to pivot and better understand education and schooling.”

She also endeavors to support fellow post-graduate students. In the 2023–24 academic year, Crumdy participated in the National Postdoctoral Association Impact Fellowship Program, which provided her with leadership training and encouraged her to create a community impact project. Crumdy organized a group she described as often overlooked: Postdoctoral scholars from the humanities and social sciences. The program provided support, networking, and training opportunities.

When she departs Penn GSE, Crumdy hopes to be a faculty member in education or anthropology, combining her passions for teaching and research.

“I would like a position that gives me the freedom to interact with students, participate in extracurriculars at a university, and continue the research I started as a postdoctoral fellow and doctoral student,” she said.