About Me:
I have conducted ethnographic fieldwork with Mexican sugarcane growers since 1984. I analyzed transitions from a largely state-operated sugar industry though privatization under neoliberal policies, and unequal competition of trade in sweeteners under NAFTA. In 1996 I began to study the impact of sugr mill closure on several cane-producing communties and more recently the transition from cane to transnational production of nontraditional crops. The latter included examination of women hired as blackberry pickers as berry production began to replace sugar cane. I am also interested in the transition to sustainable organic production in Cuba, and following two trips to that country hope to conduct future research when and if restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba are lifted.
Area(s) of Training
anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, ethnography, sociology
Area(s) of Expertise
Latin America, agrarian systems (Mexico, Cuba), social movements, sustainabile agriculture
Current Area of Employment
Associate Professor, Anthropology, University of Minnesota-Morris
