Postdoctoral Affiliate
Naomi is an anthropologist whose research sits at the intersection of medical and social anthropology.
For her DPhil, she worked with people who have the genetic condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Her research focused on participants’ experiences of genetic stigma, uncertainty, anticipation, and existential reflection. She evaluated this fieldwork data with literature on biosociality, imagined genetic community, biopolitics, and ambivalent geneticization. Moreover, to account for how participants creatively navigate and refute a world of eugenic logics, Naomi developed her own theoretical apparatus – covering spontaneous kinship formation, temporal discipline, and the ethical imperative of kindness.
Naomi has furthermore performed grounded bioethical analysis of new medical technologies. Her master’s dissertation focused on the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology – specifically, she unpacked how this technique differs from existing methods of genetic trait selection. Moreover, she has tutored Oxford undergraduate students on the anthropological significance of medical and technological advances.
Naomi is committed to interdisciplinary scholarship. She has published in JASO on the application of anthropological theory out of context. She also maintains an interest in how anthropology can inform legal practice. She has presented her work at QMUL’s conference, Appearance, Identity and Law, and gained experience at the Georgia General Assembly during her year in the United States.
Naomi is currently working on expanding her expertise into visual anthropology. Her aim is to utilise visual methods to enrich her research, and to continue bringing together insights from medical anthropology, social anthropology, bioethics, disability studies, and anti-eugenic scholarship.
Email: naomi.marshall@anthro.ox.ac.uk
Education:
DPhil in Anthropology, University of Oxford
MA in Bioethics, Emory University (Bobby Jones scholar)
MA (Hons) in Social Anthropology, University of St Andrews
