# Christopher Kelty

> American anthropologist (born 1972)

**Wikidata**: [Q58180801](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q58180801)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/christopher-kelty

## Summary
Christopher Kelty is an American anthropologist and academic born in 1972. He is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he is affiliated with the Institute for Society and Genetics, the Department of Anthropology, and the Department of Information Studies. Kelty is known for his interdisciplinary research connecting social theory, internet culture, and the anthropology of science.

## Biography
- **Born:** 1972
- **Nationality:** United States
- **Education:** Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2000)
- **Known for:** Research on internet culture, social theory, nanotechnology, and the concept of "recursive publics."
- **Employer(s):**
    - University of California, Los Angeles (2008–Present)
    - Rice University (2001–2008)
- **Field(s):** Anthropology, Social Theory, Computer Science, Nanotechnology, Information Studies

## Contributions
Christopher Kelty has contributed extensively to the understanding of the intersection between technology, law, and society. His work frequently explores the concept of "participation" in the digital age and the social structures of technical communities.

A significant portion of his research focuses on the anthropology of open source and internet culture. He authored the notable work "Geeks, Social Imaginaries, and Recursive Publics," which examines how online communities form around the modification and maintenance of their own infrastructures. He expanded on this topic in "Too Much Democracy in All the Wrong Places: Toward a Grammar of Participation" and "Two modes of participation: A conceptual analysis of 102 cases of Internet and social media participation from 2005–2015," providing a structured analysis of digital engagement.

Kelty has also applied anthropological methods to the field of nanotechnology. His work "Toward open source nano: Arsenic removal and alternative models of technology transfer" investigates alternative methods for disseminating scientific innovation. Additionally, he has addressed safety and ethics in technological development through "Beyond Implications and Applications: the Story of ‘Safety by Design’."

In the realm of academic publishing, Kelty has advocated for new models of dissemination in "ANTHROPOLOGY OF/IN CIRCULATION: The Future of Open Access and Scholarly Societies." He has also contributed to the disentanglement of modern participation frameworks in "Seven dimensions of contemporary participation disentangled."

## FAQs
### Q: What is Christopher Kelty's academic background?
A: Christopher Kelty holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which he completed in 2000. He also speaks both English and French.

### Q: With which institutions is Christopher Kelty affiliated?
A: He is currently a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), associated with the Institute for Society and Genetics, the Department of Anthropology, and the Department of Information Studies. He previously taught at Rice University from 2001 to 2008.

### Q: What are the main topics of Christopher Kelty's research?
A: His primary fields of work include social theory, nanotechnology, internet culture, and computer science. He analyzes how the internet and technologies are built and how society interacts with them.

## Why They Matter
Christopher Kelty matters for his ability to bridge the gap between the humanities and the hard sciences, specifically through the lens of anthropology. By applying ethnographic methods to technical domains—such as open-source software development and nanotechnology—he reveals the social, legal, and political underpinnings of technological innovation.

His concept of "recursive publics" has been influential in internet studies, offering a framework to understand how geeks and programmers create social movements to defend the infrastructures they rely on. This work challenges traditional notions of the "public sphere" by highlighting how technical expertise influences governance and collective action. Furthermore, his analysis of over 100 cases of internet participation provides scholars with a critical grammar to differentiate between meaningful engagement and superficial clicking. His work on open access and the future of scholarly societies positions him as a thought leader in how academic knowledge itself is circulated and controlled.

## Notable For
- **Recursive Publics:** Defining and analyzing the concept of "recursive publics" in the context of open-source culture.
- **Interdisciplinary Appointments:** Holding professorships across three distinct departments at UCLA (Society and Genetics, Anthropology, Information Studies).
- **Participation Analysis:** Conducting comprehensive conceptual analyses of internet and social media participation.
- **MIT Training:** Earning a Ph.D. from MIT, a leading institution in both technology and anthropology.
- **Open Access Advocacy:** Writing on the future of open access and scholarly society structures.

## Body

### Early Life and Education
Christopher Michael Kelty was born in 1972 in the United States. He pursued higher education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy in 2000.

### Academic Career
Kelty began his academic career at Rice University, serving in the Department of Anthropology from 2001 to 2008. During this period, he held positions as both an assistant and associate professor.

In 2008, Kelty joined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His appointment is multidisciplinary; he is a professor in the:
-   UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics (starting 2008)
-   UCLA Department of Information Studies (starting 2008)
-   UCLA Department of Anthropology (starting 2011)

### Research and Key Works
Kelty’s research portfolio spans social theory, nanotechnology, and computer science. His publication record includes:

-   **Geeks, Social Imaginaries, and Recursive Publics:** A foundational text on the social organization of open-source communities.
-   **Two modes of participation:** A conceptual analysis of 102 cases of Internet and social media participation from 2005–2015.
-   **Seven dimensions of contemporary participation disentangled:** A breakdown of modern participation frameworks.
-   **Toward open source nano:** Exploring arsenic removal and alternative models of technology transfer.
-   **Beyond Implications and Applications:** The story of ‘Safety by Design’.
-   **Too Much Democracy in All the Wrong Places:** Toward a Grammar of Participation.
-   **ANTHROPOLOGY OF/IN CIRCULATION:** The Future of Open Access and Scholarly Societies.

### Digital Presence and Identifiers
Kelty maintains a professional web presence at `kelty.org` and the UCLA Social Sciences website. His academic profiles are tracked via several identifiers:
-   **ISNI:** 0000000078536316
-   **VIAF ID:** 56071425
-   **Scopus Author ID:** 6701572361
-   **Loop ID:** 1095915

## References

1. BnF authorities
2. [Source](https://v2.nl/people/christopher-m-kelty/)
3. [Source](https://socgen.ucla.edu/people/christopher-kelty/)
4. [Source](https://seis.ucla.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-directory/christopher-kelty)
5. [Source](https://anthro.ucla.edu/person/christopher-kelty/)
6. [V2 archive](https://v2.nl/people/christopher-m-kelty/)
7. [Source](https://kelty.org/or/papers/cv-kelty-short-2015.pdf)
8. [Source](https://viaf.org/viaf/data/viaf-20230206-links.txt.gz)
9. Virtual International Authority File
10. IdRef
11. [Christopher Kelty | Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL3199910A/Christopher_Kelty)
12. [Source](https://anthro.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cv-kelty-2013.pdf)
13. [ORCID Public Data File 2020](https://pub.orcid.org/v3.0_rc1/0000-0003-0253-5554/external-identifiers/1822585)
14. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File