John Boyd joined Michigan State's Department of Anthropology as a doctoral student in 2018. He holds a BA and MA from Indiana University in political science and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures.

John's current research focuses on youth and identity in the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) and its diaspora, primarily through soccer fandom, or the ultras movement. He is particularly interested in how young North African ultras in the Maghreb and diaspora address and combat issues of economic & social inequality, migration, national & regional identity, state oppression, police brutality, and other forms of violence through performances (chants, banners, tifos, graffiti, and protests) in stadiums and city centers.

John is also interest in music (Raï, Chaabi, and Gnawa, as well as hip hop, punk, and metal) in MENA and their associated youth movements and/or subcultures.