Michael Eissinger

Prior to completing his Ph.D. in World Cultures at the University of California, Merced in 2017, Michael Eissinger already had two completely unrelated careers – more than twenty years as a professional broadcaster (13 years commercial radio, 8-9 years internet radio) and two decades working in the computer industry. Returning to school, at 48, he completed two BA’s (History and Anthropology), an MA in History. For several years, his research has focused on topics of identity, community, social memory, race, ethnicity, and class and is centered on a historical and ethnographic study of almost two dozen rural California settlements that historically had all or majority African American populations between the 1880s and the present. In addition to carrying a full load of face-to-face and online classes in the Anthropology Department at Fresno State, he is also a History lecturer for Fresno City College. Since completing his MA, several years ago, he has taught a wide array of Anthropology, History, and Ethnic Studies classes at several community colleges, as well as at UC Merced. He has presented papers at the AAA annual meeting in San Francisco, SWAA conferences in Sacramento, Chico, San Jose, and Orange County, and various conferences around the country. Blending his academic and broadcasting careers, he now hosts a weekly show called “The Struggle” on Fresno’s Pacifica Affiliate, KFCF, 88.1.