Vivian Chenxue Lu
Department of Anthropology

Vivian Chenxue Lu is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology. Her current research focuses on the politics of contemporary mercantile work and commercial platforms connecting the Global South. She received her B.A. from Columbia University in Anthropology and African Studies. This year she will teach a CSRE course on economic sovereignty, race, and entrepreneurship in the US.

Dissertation: Risky Hearts: Igbo Nigerian merchant livelihoods across the Global South

Her current research project focuses on the notable, and at times notorious, presence and work of young Igbo Nigerian male merchants in contemporary trade sites across Africa, the Middle East & Asia. The project investigates masculinity, ethnicity, sociality, and the politics of profit and value along contemporary supply chains and trade routes.