Latin America and the Caribbean
Regionally, UIUC has a strong focus on Latin America and the Caribbean, with the research of Rosas focused on Mexico and the US-Mexican border area (Nogales, Sonora), Moodie on emergent subjectivities in the post-conflict transitions in Central America (particularly El Salvador), and more recently in Cuba, Orta on Aymara communities and foreign missionaries in highland Bolivia, and Dominguez on the French, English, and Spanish-Speaking Caribbean. (See also the archeological work of Silverman in Peru as well Lucero’s archaeological analysis of Mayan political systems and water management in Belize.)
North America
The department also boasts a number of faculty engaged in research with North American communities, including Davis' and Farnell's work with Native North Americans, Desmond’s work on culture and feminist theory, popular culture, and media and live performance in the U.S. and beyond, on the transnational study of the U.S. and on human-animal relations, Rosas’s work in the Midwest and on the Borderlands, Dominguez’s work in Louisiana and on transnational U.S. studies, and Manalansan's work with Filipino Americans. In addition, Harrison's and Smalls' research focuses on the African diaspora as well as transnational studies. (See also the archeological work of Pauketat and Fennell). Affiliated faculty in other departments such as Inda and Rana offer additional anthropological expertise in regional foci such as Latino/a Studies and Asian American Studies.
Other regions of focus
Another notable area of research strength is both the anthropology of Europe, reflected in the research of Greenberg in Post-Soviet Europe, and Dominguez’s work in the Middle East, particularly Israel. In East Asia, Martin conducts research on China. In Africa, Saul is engaged in research in francophone West Africa (see also the archeological work of Ambrose in East Africa). In Southeast Asia and Oceania, see Manalansan's research in the Philippines.