Virginia Nazarea
Professor of Anthropology
- William A. Owens Award, 2007
Virginia Nazarea, Professor of Anthropology, has, through her highly original research andwriting, articulated the novel perspective that local knowledge and cultural memory can counteract the loss of biodiversity. Her position — that biodiversity is nurtured in marginal spaces that provide a sense of place, belonging and resistance affords people a degree of sovereignty — is a radical departure from science’s earlier focus on macro trends and programmatic design. Her work has been influential inredirecting the focus of research and development in academic programs, international centers and interdisciplinary research projects to instead focus attention on the role of indigenous peoples, women, elders, subsistence farmers and small-scale gardeners in conserving biodiversity.
