Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Office: LA3008 Phone: 465-7065 Email: debauer

I am a cultural anthropologist with a geographic focus on Latin America. I earned my Ph.D. in Anthropology from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. In 2002 I began conducting research in coastal Ecuador with an interest in natural resource utilization and the human/environment interaction. From 2002 to 2008 I spent approximately 24 months conducting ethnographic research in Ecuador. My dissertation research focused on the intersection of identity and development in coastal Ecuador. My current research interests include ethnic identity formation, ethnic-based political movements, identity production, political economy, and development.

My research has been published in the Bulletin of Latin American Research, The Applied Anthropologist, the Journal of Anthropological Research, La Revista de Antropología Experimental and The Latin Americanist.

Aside from my academic interests I am also directly involved in community based educational and economic development initiatives in rural Ecuador as President and Project Coordinator of the Rural Ecuador Development Initiative. REDI is a non-profit foundation that promotes community engaged development practices throughout coastal Ecuador.

Courses I have taught include: Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology and Development, Introduction to Anthropology, Peoples of Latin America, Race and Mestizaje in Latin America, Indigenous Movements and Representations in Latin America, World Cultures, Introduction to Latin America, and The Amazon.

Coastal Manabi Province, Ecuador