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Ph.D. Geography with a Certificate in Development Studies, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2004
M.A. Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1999
B.A. Environmental Studies with Honors, Bucknell University, 1995
Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment, The University of Texas at Austin, August 2004 - August 2008
Faculty Research Associate, Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, June 2007 - August 2008
My research concentrates upon several topics, particularly conservation and development in Southern Africa, social and environmental justice, and the intersections between livelihoods, health and environment. The majority of this research has been completed in South Africa, although I have recently begun new projects in Botswana and the United States.
The expansion of national parks and protected areas throughout the developing world raises political, economic and ethical challenges for balancing the often competing needs of biodiversity protection and economic development. In order to assess the livelihood impacts of conservation planning, I have been examining the Mahushe Shongwe Game Reserve, which is an ecotourist community conservation project established in northeast South Africa in 1986. This was the first conservation project within the former KaNgwane bantustan, which was one of ten territories designed to facilitate apartheid's system of racial segregation. My work demonstrates that there is measurable community variation in the perceptions and benefits arising from community conservation initiatives. As a result, there are important relationships between livelihood patterns and perceptions about the benefits of Mahushe Shongwe. This research helps show that communities need to be socially and spatially disaggregated in order to understand the diverse impacts of community conservation.
Colonial and apartheid governments utilized space to forcibly classify and regulate human populations throughout rural and urban South Africa. Central to this project were the bantustans, which were intended to become discrete territories for the majority African population. I have conducted qualitative and archival research in the former KaNgwane bantustan since 1999 to examine how social and environmental systems were discursively constructed by colonial and apartheid authorities. This work considers the relationships between society and space to evaluate how the geographies of apartheid remain relevant for local populations while simultaneously providing opportunities for change. Additionally, I am interrogating how 'development' remains a discursive tool that structures the opportunities for social and environmental justice in the post-apartheid era.
My work engages with the field of development studies to interrogate how development theory and practice shapes social and ecological landscapes. The dynamic reimagining that is occurring within the former South African bantustans is providing opportunities for conservation and development organizations to craft their own visions for these territories. This produces often conflicting agendas for these territories that include nature tourism, sugar cane farming and livestock grazing being advocated as idealized development schemes. My research demonstrates that the post-apartheid transition remains socially and spatially structured by apartheid but is creating new opportunities and avenues for development agencies to pursue their particular goals. This work also highlights the fact that the emergence of newly created governance structures and environmental legislation is challenging the role of traditional systems, including the tribal authorities. Building upon this research, I am working to integrate space more directly into livelihood analyses and critical development studies.
A more recent research direction is an examination of the production of livelihoods and environmental change in the developing world. This work evaluates the relationships between health and environment, focusing in particular on the effects of HIV/AIDS upon social and environmental systems. This research is demonstrating that livelihood patterns and environmental systems are experiencing transformations in response to the onset of disease within rural households. Understanding the particular trajectories of these patterns is critical to ensure effective disease management and support sustainable practices.
Although my research has concentrated upon South Africa, my interest in these themes extends to other areas. Working with my colleagues Dr. Kelley Crews and Dr. Ken Young (University of Texas and the National Science Foundation respectively), we have initiated a research project in the Okavango Delta, Botswana to assess the social and ecological effects of environmental variability. The uncertainty in terms of the location and intensity of the flooding has significant implications for human populations dependent upon various resources for livelihood production. We are presently collaborating with local researchers on data collection and analysis and have submitted a revised research proposal to the National Science Foundation to extend this work into 2010.
Prior to arriving at Penn State, I taught several undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Texas, including:
Conservation (GRG 306)
National Parks and Protected Areas (GRG 336)
Sustainable Development (GRG 342)
Poverty and Environment in the Developing World (GRG 396)
Teaching Geography (GRG 398)
At Penn State I have taught Human Use of the Environment (GEOG 408) and a graduate seminar on political ecology (GEOG 597). In the future, I will offer undergraduate courses on political geography, development studies, and environmental justice. My graduate courses will concentrate upon political ecology and international development.
Prospective graduate students who share similar research interests should feel free to contact me.