Biography
Dr. Alex Posecznick has been a key member of the Education, Culture, and Society program at Penn GSE since 2011, where he serves as program manager and associate faculty member. In 2023, he was appointed associate director of the Ethnography in Education Research Forum, an internationally recognized conference at Penn that has been a leader in promoting qualitative inquiry and ethnographic research since 1980. Dr. Posecznick brings a unique perspective to the culture of higher education, blending his expertise in ethnographic research with a deep understanding of academic policy and administration. His work critically examines meritocracy and the structures of college admissions, as covered in The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed.
Dr. Posecznick’s scholarship has been published in leading journals such as Ethnography and Education and Policy Futures in Education, and he has co-edited a special issue of Learning and Teaching that explores the complex relationship between universities, academics, and the state. He has served on the editorial board of Anthropology and Education Quarterly and has reviewed manuscripts for American Anthropologist, Ethos, and other prestigious outlets. A former chair of the Council on Anthropology and Education’s Committee on Post-Secondary Education, Dr. Posecznick was named a CAE Presidential Fellow in 2013, recognizing his contributions to the field. His research has been presented at major conferences such as the American Anthropological Association, Penn’s Ethnography in Education Research Forum, and Oxford’s Ethnography and Education Conference.
Education
- Ph.D. (Applied Anthropology) Teachers College, Columbia University, 2010
- M.A. (Anthropology and Education) Teachers College, Columbia University, 2006
- M.S. (Public Administration) Audrey Cohen College, 2000
- B.A. (English and History) St. John's University, 1997
Areas of Expertise
- Cultural anthropology
- Educational bureaucracy/culture
- Meritocracy and social reproduction
- Credentialism in higher education
- Ethnographic and other qualitative methods
More Information
Dr. Posecznick teaches courses such as the Master’s Seminar in Education, Culture, and Society; Anthropology and Education; and Merit and America. At Penn GSE, he has mentored and advised countless master’s students on their theses, served on dissertation committees and chaired Ed.D. committees. His teaching philosophy emphasizes critical engagement with the social and cultural contexts of education, preparing students to navigate and challenge the complexities of the educational landscape. Through a commitment to kindness, respect, humility, curiosity, and hope, he aims to create supportive and collaborative learning community that fosters meaningful connection.
Ethnography in Education Research Forum
Academic Programs
Research Interests and Current Projects
Dr. Posecznick’s research interests lie at the intersection of cultural anthropology, qualitative methods, and higher education. His work explores the organizational culture, policy, and practice of educational institutions, with a focus on legitimacy, merit, gatekeeping, and equity. His work delves into the production of the neoliberal subject in higher education, examining how access to education shapes professional identities and social mobility. Dr. Posecznick has studied non-traditional student retention, the professional identity formation of engineering students, and the complex dynamics of college recruitment and admissions.
Dr. Posecznick’s ethnography of college admissions, funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation, provides a compelling examination of a small urban college’s struggle to balance competing in a tight educational marketplace with empowering marginalized students. His book, Selling Hope and College (Cornell University Press, 2017), captures the many dilemmas that educational institutions face in economically challenging times. Dr. Posecznick continues to explore these themes in his ongoing research, contributing to both scholarly discourse and public debates on education.
Publications
Featured Publications
