Professor, Center for Latin American Studies
378 Grinter Hall
Tel: 352 273-4730
E-mail: spaulson@latam.ufl.edu
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Research Interests
Political ecology, gender/class/race/ethnicity, research methodologies, sustainability science, degrowth
Geographical Expertise
Andes, Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Comparative Latin America
Background
As a member of UF’s Center for Latin American Studies, I look forward to teaching and accompanying students in Tropical Conservation and Development as they design and carry out various kinds of research; my own favorite methods involve working with local people on their farms, in their forests and in their kitchens. Much of my research explores ways in which gender, class and ethnicity interact with biophysical environments, including bodies and landscapes. I lived for 15 years in South America, working in graduate programs at CESU in Bolivia and CBC in Perú, and teaching intermittently at FLACSO-Ecuador. At Miami University I directed Latin American Studies for 7 years, and at Lund University in Sweden helped to launch a new graduate program in Culture, Power and Sustainability. In recent years I have been collaborating with international interdisciplinary teams on two research and theory building projects: one on rural territorial dynamics in Latin America, and the other on the emerging paradigm of degrowth.
Curriculum Vitae
Courses
- LAS 6938 Power and Environment: Political Ecology Perspectives on Conservation and Development
- LAS 6293 Design and Methods of Research in Latin American Studies
- LAS 4935/LAS 6938 Environmental Social Movements in Latin America