Anthropology

at Northern Kentucky University

Douglas W. Hume

headshot

Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology Web Manager
Freshmen and Sophomore Advisor

Curriculum Vitae

Northern Kentucky University
Department of Sociology/Anthropology/Philosophy
228 Landrum Academic Center
Highland Heights, KY 41099

Phone: (859) 572-5702 or 5259
FAX: (859) 572-6086

Email: primary address & secondary address

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Website: http://www.nku.edu/~humed1/

Academic Degrees

Ph.D. University of Connecticut
M.A. California State University, Fullerton
B.A. California State University, Fullerton
A.A. Orange Coast College

Courses

ANT 100 Cultural Anthropology
ANT 273 Race, Gender and Culture
ANT 275 Language and Culture
ANT 317 Ecological Anthropology
ANT 325 Applied Anthropology
ANT 342 Quantitative Methods in Anthropology
ANT 345 Environmental Anthropology
ANT 363 Language and Thought

Research Interests

Cultural anthropology; applied anthropology; linguistics; cognitive anthropology; ethnoecology; analysis of inter- and intracultural variation; cultural models; ritual; conservation; agriculture; Internet culture; Madagascar; North America.

Current Research

fieldwork

My core interest is understanding how humans interpret their environment and how their interpretations may influence their practices. In short, I have focused on the ethnoecology of agricultural development. I use both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how cultural models vary within and between groups. Specifically, my ethnoecological ethnography has been applied to assisting the transition from swidden to irrigated agriculture in Madagascar. This ethnography complements the attention that the Malagasy government has given to the political, agricultural and ecological aspects of this transition. In sum, my research interests are at once theoretical, methodological, and applied.

fieldwork

My dissertation research was a collaborative effort (partnered with the Malagasy government and both national and international NGOs) to evaluate agricultural change in the eastern Madagascar province of Toamasina. To understand the cultural aspects of changing agricultural practices, I compared three sample populations that include a small town, a village and scattered communities, which all had differing relationships with conservation organizations. The hypothesis examined in my dissertation was whether the information conservation organizations are giving to the local populations on non-indigenous agricultural practices is displacing knowledge of indigenous agricultural practices.

fieldwork

My future research plans are twofold. First, I plan to continue my applied research in Madagascar. While my dissertation has described how three small populations vary in their knowledge of swidden agriculture, the Malagasy government and development organizations require data across several regions of Madagascar to base their programs. While I have a good understanding of the variation of knowledge within my dissertation research site, I need to explore how the variation compares with other nearby groups. Second, I have begun an internet project on risk taking and environmental concern among Americans. This project is useful as a teaching tool, as students trained in and conducting ethnographic interviews may then interpret large sample sets collected on the internet.

Accolades

2007
Fellow, Society for Applied Anthropology
2005
Sixth Annual Rappaport Panel, Anthropology and Environment Section, American Anthropological Association
2003
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, University of Connecticut

Selected Publications

2006
Swidden Agriculture and Conservation in Eastern Madagascar: Stakeholder Perspectives and Cultural Belief Systems. Conservation and Society 4(2):287-303.
2006
Tanim-Bary Rituals Among the Betsimisaraka in Andasibe. Taloha 16-17.
2005
Agriculture in Madagascar: Conservation and Cultural Meanings of Rice. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut.