Education
Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Minnesota (1971)
M.A., Anthropology, University of Minnesota (1967)
A.B., Sociology, University of Notre Dame (1965)
Tim Roufs’ specializations include cultural anthropology, anthropology of food, Middle America, culture and personality, sociocultural change—applied, and prehistoric cultures. He has done fieldwork in Mexico, Hungary, and on the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota. A major project from Leech Lake has been the preparation of a biography of Paul Buffalo.
Tim has served three times as Director of UMD's Study in England Program at the University of Birmingham, and in 1989-1990 was a Fulbright Fellow at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary. He has taught more students at UMD than any other instructor or professor in the history of the school.
Tim and his Hearing Assistant Partner Bentley are graduates of the Can Do Canine Assistance Dog training program in New Hope, MN. You can read more here about Tim and Bentley.
Tim is the husband of Kim Smyth Roufs. Together Tim and Kim have published Sweet Treats around the World (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2014).
Select Publications
- Roufs, Timothy G. 2026. Cannibalism around the World: History, Culture and Society. London: Bloomsbury Academic. "Cannibalism around the World features more than 100 reference entries that examine cannibalism from a myriad of perspectives. Readers will discover the important cultural, spiritual, and symbolic roles cannibalism has played around the globe, from the Catholic Eucharist to sacrificial cannibalism among the Aztecs to appease the gods to the practice of some Fijian peoples of consuming enemies killed in battle to absorb their strength. The encyclopedia examines well-known incidents of survival cannibalism, such as the ill-fated Donner Party and the starvation conditions of labor camps during World War II. Entries on high-profile criminal cannibals such as Jeffrey Dahmer are also included. The book also explores cannibalism in written and oral stories, such as the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel and the Native American myth of the Wendigo. Cannibalism's portrayal in pop culture is also discussed. Taken together, these entries offer readers a broad yet highly nuanced view of this controversial subject grounded in rigorous anthropological scholarship." (Amazon summary)
- "Siposné Nándori, Eszter, and Timothy G. Roufs. "The Effect of Economic Conditions on Poverty Perception in Minnesota." SN Social Sciences, 3, 189 (24 October 2023), 16 pp. DOI Online Publication. ReadCube.
The paper analyzes subjective poverty in St. Louis County, Minnesota, with the methods of systematic data collection in 2020 and makes a diachronic comparison using the results of a similar survey from 2010. The paper identifies the most important poverty-related items and compares the precise meanings of the results of the 2010 and 2020 surveys. It also aims to find out how the recovery after the recession of 2008 modified perceptions of poverty. It is revealed that poverty in 2020 is mainly associated with items related to material needs. Many of the items mentioned in relation to poverty are related to financial issues, to basic human needs, or to physical safety. The paper concludes that in spite of the economic recovery, subjective poverty did not change significantly in the examined period. Authors may be contacted at [email protected] and [email protected] for further information. - Roufs, Timothy G. 2019. Gabe-bines, "Forever Flying Bird": Teachings from Paul Peter Buffalo, Vol.1, Year-Round in the Early Years. Minneapolis, MN: Wise Ink. (For the Minnesota Historical Society, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and the American Indian Learning Resource Center of the University of Minnesota Duluth.) 28 June 2019.
- Roufs, Timothy G. 2019. Gabe-bines, "Forever Flying Bird": Teachings from Paul Peter Buffalo, Vol.2, Wenabozho and the Way We Think About the World. Minneapolis, MN: Wise Ink. (For the Minnesota Historical Society, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and the American Indian Learning Resource Center of the University of Minnesota Duluth.) 28 June 2019.
- Roufs, Timothy G. 2019. Gabe-bines, "Forever Flying Bird": Teachings from Paul Peter Buffalo, Vol.3, Living Amongst the Whites . . . the Best We Can. Minneapolis, MN: Wise Ink. (For the Minnesota Historical Society, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and the American Indian Learning Resource Center of the University of Minnesota Duluth.) 28 June 2019.
- Roufs, Timothy G. 2018. "Booyah." From We Eat What?: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Unusual Foods in the United States, by Jonathan Deutsch, (Ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, pp. 30-36.
- Roufs, Timothy G. 2018. "Hot Dish." From We Eat What?: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Unusual Foods in the United States, by Jonathan Deutsch, (Ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, pp. 171-176.
- Roufs, Timothy G. 2018. "Potica." From We Eat What?: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Unusual Foods in the United States, by Jonathan Deutsch, (Ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, pp. 249-258.