lea coffineau
anthropology and filmmaking
Born in Montreal, and raised between Quebec and France, I worked as a stage performer in Paris before becoming a cultural journalist. I like to create images, either with words or with a camera.
Based in New York City since 2019, I am today a doctoral candidate in anthropology. My research focuses on our ethics of compassion and the anti-colonial discourse and politicization of West African migrant youth in France.
Also, I put maple syrup on my fries.
EDUCATION
Since 2021
City University of New York
•
PhD, Anthropology
2019-2021
New School for Social Research
•
MA, Anthropology
2016-2019
University of Strasbourg
•
BA, Sociology
short films
Le son des graviers · 2023
A last love letter to my grandmother.
Where Are You From? · 2021
Three female portraits to deconstruct the French fantasy of universalism.
Thérèse et François · 2020
A pandemic-time dive into family archives.
Hussein Hussein · 2019
Hussein left Sudan in 2002. I met him on a street camp in Paris in 2016.
Other Projects
Fieldwork 2024
I Am Here
A digital exhibition of curated photographs and comments posted on Google Maps by refugee camp residents.
Mapping Camps
An ever-growing planisphere of the refugee and IDP camps established in the world since the 1950s.
Sexual Violences in Camps
An awareness-raising program designed for humanitarian staff working in migrant settlements.
Teaching
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Politics of Migration
lea coffineau 