Introduction

This article introduces thirteen reflections on the scholarly contributions of anthropologist Katherine Verdery, Julien J. Studley Faculty Scholar and Distinguished Professor Emerita at the City University of New York Graduate Center’s Department of Anthropology. Although Verdery is perhaps best known for her work on socialist and postsocialist societies, we draw attention to some additional remarkable aspects of Verdery’s scholarship over the decades: her determination to hold ethnographic particularity together with a focus on regional and global processes; her ability to adapt to changes in her sites and topics of research and her fields of scholarship; her meticulous creativity; and, above all, her willingness—indeed, her delight—in sharing all of this virtuoso skill with her many students and colleagues.