What is it to be human?

It's a question that scientists and philosophers have tried to answer for thousands of years and the reason Mario Gonzales has dedicated his life to the study of anthropology. "I've always been fascinated by what motivates humans to do anything," he says. "I originally went into psychology because I thought it was the mind, but that didn't offer a sufficient explanation for me. I've found in anthropology that culture is the overriding influence of human behavior."

Gonzales has enjoyed introducing the subject to Southwestern students since he joined the faculty in 1997. He says most students come in excited about anthropology, but with only a "fuzzy idea of what culture and human evolution is. I help them deconstruct myths and encourage them to examine their own culture without seeing it as a model for how other societies exist. Our culture is just one of many, not the best type."

While Southwestern doesn't currently offer anthropology as a major (although it's in the works), Gonzales says some of his former students have gone on to pursue graduate studies in the subject. His classes are designed to engage students through dialog.

"I want to communicate my own passion and interests and get an idea of what they are understanding. The classroom should be an area where discussion is encouraged. I learn quite a bit from my students. Listening to them can be really exhilarating and moving."

It is that kind of intimacy that drew Gonzales to Southwestern. Having attended larger, state institutions throughout his own educational experience, he always longed to have closer relationships with his professors as a student. "That was the part of a liberal arts university that attracted me. I really enjoy getting to know the students."

Gonzales has been able to involve students in his ongoing research. He has long been interested in ethnic and social relations in Mexico and the United States, indigenous issues, immigration, ethnic and cultural identity, and Mexican American studies.

His latest project took him and two of his students to Mexico this summer where they studied cultural identity and community of indigenous people in Oaxaca City and Magdelena Penasco, Oaxaca. "We looked at how they use labor to define their position in the community. Every male member of a household freely gives time to work on a community project. They also practice 'tequio,' a method of reciprocal labor that is a very old practice among indigenous people in Mexico."

Born in Fresno, Calif., and raised in the small, Mexican American community of Parlier, Calif., Gonzales became the first in his family to attend college when he enrolled at California State University at Fresno. There, he received his degree in Psychology. He went on to earn his masters in Anthropology / Southwestern studies at New Mexico Highlands University and his doctorate in Anthropology at Washington State University.

"As an undergraduate, I didn't really think about going into teaching. I was just happy to be in school—that was a major achievement. As I moved on to my graduate studies, I enjoyed the idea of being in an academic environment where I could read and think and write. Having grown up in a fairly poor community, I wanted to help others. I thought I could use the tools I learned best by teaching."

Gonzales and his spouse, Laura, have three children. He enjoys playing basketball, running, biking and lifting weights. He says if he didn't teach, he'd like to work with an organization dealing with immigrants from Latin American countries.

-Greg Holland