Incorporations: Capitalism and Collective Life with Associate Professor Matthew Hull
U-M Anthropology 2026 Roy A. Rappaport Lecture Series
Join the U-M Department of Anthropology for the annual Roy A. Rappaport Lecture Series! Associate Professor Matthew Hull will present the fall 2026 series, titled “Incorporations: Capitalism and Collective Life.”
Abstract: “Corporations are often seen as economic actors, but they have been central to Anglo-American governance for centuries—pioneers of democratic assembly, speech, citizenship, and constitutions. Many features of corporations, once grounded in democratic ideals, now foster the unresponsiveness of these institutions. These lectures will include discussion of a diverse array of corporations: medieval guilds, the English East India Company, Alaska Native corporations, and caste-based corporations in India.”
Rappaport lectures will take place on the following fall Fridays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in West Hall Room 411. They are free and open to the public:
Friday, Sept. 25
“Corporate Persons in Human Law: Reproduction, Kinship, Jurisdiction”
Friday, Oct. 23
“Freedom and Citizenship: Corporate Membership and the Making of Exclusion”
Friday, Nov. 13
“Meetings and Speech: Corporate Mediations of Will”
Friday, Dec. 4
“Sharing and Inequality in Corporations”
VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION LINK: Coming fall 2026!
If you need accommodations to attend, please email anthro.exec.secretary@umich.edu.
ABOUT ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MATTHEW HULL
Matthew Hull is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the nexus of signification, technology, and institutions. His book, “Government of Paper: The Materiality of Bureaucracy in Urban Pakistan,” winner of the 2019 J.I. Staley Prize from the School of Advanced Research, examines governance as a semiotic and material practice. He has worked on urban planning in 1960s India and police communication systems and lotteries in contemporary India. He is currently writing a book on how early modern corporations shaped democratic governance and continue to structure contemporary political life.
Abstract: “Corporations are often seen as economic actors, but they have been central to Anglo-American governance for centuries—pioneers of democratic assembly, speech, citizenship, and constitutions. Many features of corporations, once grounded in democratic ideals, now foster the unresponsiveness of these institutions. These lectures will include discussion of a diverse array of corporations: medieval guilds, the English East India Company, Alaska Native corporations, and caste-based corporations in India.”
Rappaport lectures will take place on the following fall Fridays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in West Hall Room 411. They are free and open to the public:
Friday, Sept. 25
“Corporate Persons in Human Law: Reproduction, Kinship, Jurisdiction”
Friday, Oct. 23
“Freedom and Citizenship: Corporate Membership and the Making of Exclusion”
Friday, Nov. 13
“Meetings and Speech: Corporate Mediations of Will”
Friday, Dec. 4
“Sharing and Inequality in Corporations”
VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION LINK: Coming fall 2026!
If you need accommodations to attend, please email anthro.exec.secretary@umich.edu.
ABOUT ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MATTHEW HULL
Matthew Hull is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the nexus of signification, technology, and institutions. His book, “Government of Paper: The Materiality of Bureaucracy in Urban Pakistan,” winner of the 2019 J.I. Staley Prize from the School of Advanced Research, examines governance as a semiotic and material practice. He has worked on urban planning in 1960s India and police communication systems and lotteries in contemporary India. He is currently writing a book on how early modern corporations shaped democratic governance and continue to structure contemporary political life.
| Building: | West Hall |
|---|---|
| Website: | |
| Event Type: | Lecture / Discussion |
| Tags: | AEM Featured, Anthropology, Lecture |
| Source: | Happening @ Michigan from Department of Anthropology, Museum of Anthropological Archaeology |
| Upcoming Dates: |
Friday, September 25, 2026 3:00-4:30 PM
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