Jonathan Friedman (born April 7, 1946) is an American anthropologist. He earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University in 1972. He is professor of Anthropology at University of California, San Diego and Director of Studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales. He is one of the main editors of the journal Anthropological Theory, published by SAGE Publications. Friedman has done most of his research in Hawaii and the Republic of Congo.