Featured Alumni

Dr. Frederick F. Wherry 1990 is currently an Assistant Professor of sociology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University in 2004.

Fred recently published "Global Markets and Local Crafts: Thailand and Costa Rica Compared," a book about the handicraft industries of Thailand and Costa Rica that articulates how local cultural industries break into global markets and how global markets affect the ways in which artisans understand, adapt and utilize their cultural traditions. His book has developed a new framework for studying globalization by considering the phenomenon from the perspective of the supplier instead of the market.

Over the years, Fred has traveled extensively for volunteer and professional work to Australia, Costa Rica, Russia, England, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, the Kingdom of Swaziland, the Kingdom of Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Tibet, China, the Philippines and the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.

Fred entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar, and graduated with degrees in public policy and creative writing.