The Michael Kearney Memorial Lecture honors the memory and career of Michael Kearney, a prominent scholar of transnational migration. Throughout his work, Kearney maintained a deep commitment to three themes central to contemporary society: migration, human rights, and transnationalism.

These interests first emerged in his doctoral research, The Winds of Ixtepeji, and became more sharply focused in the 1980s as he turned his attention to the experiences of migrants from Mexico. His research informed public policy and contributed to reports and testimony before federal and state legislative hearings, reflecting his belief in applied anthropology as a tool for addressing human challenges.

Each year, the Society for Applied Anthropology honors his legacy with a Memorial Session at the Annual Meeting. An outstanding scholar is invited to present on the intersection of Kearney’s three central themes, with a focus on a pressing contemporary issue.