Roberto I. Armengol is a sociocultural anthropologist, public scholar, radio producer and journalist. His scholarly work focuses on collective struggles for sustainable futures. Roberto has conducted more than three years of ethnographic fieldwork in Cuba with support from Fulbright-Hayes and Ford fellowships. He studies “the people’s socialism” in Havana, where ordinary people survive by drawing on the pragmatic morality of communism while challenging state bureaucracy. At the Karsh Institute, he produces the award-winning podcast Democracy in Danger, with hosts Emily Burrill, Will Hitchcock and Siva Vaidhyanathan.

Roberto holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Virginia. Having worked at UVA for almost 20 years, he recently served as a postdoctoral College Fellow, designing and teaching Engagement courses for first-year students. Earlier in his career, Roberto worked as a reporter and staff writer, covering corporate law, local politics, ecology and much more for major news organizations. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg News, the BBC, NPR and elsewhere.