www.sfaa.net
Profile Information
- Hometown:
- Maputo, Mozambique (currently)
- About Me:
- When I was really little I wanted to be a hermit (so I could read every book), then a pirate (so I could own my own tropical island and build a library just for me), then a paleontologist ('cause dinosaurs were cool). By the time I got out of high school, I'd decided to study marine ecology. I actually worked in this field, mainly counting hairs on the butts of copepods, fishing for baby lobsters, and measuring bryozoan sizes. I switched to estuarine ecology (environmental studies) for my masters to get away from the microscope, and work with really big stuff like landscapes. I taught HS for a while, then backpacked around the world for a year.
Now, I am a doctoral candidate in ecological anthropology at the University of Georgia. Currently, I am in the field in southern Mozambique working on my dissertation researching connections between landscape and culture in 2 Ronga communities at the Maputo Elephant Reserve. The two objectives of my research are to: (1) analyze the importance of social and ecological factors in directing the spatial and temporal patch choice and use of Rongan harvesters, and (2) investigate the specific effects of Ronga plant harvest on vegetation diversity, abundance, and distribution. My research, in one anonymous reviewer's words, "is not flashy or very exciting but it may be a useful contribution, and it has a practical side as well." I really liked that. Seriously.
- Area(s) of Training
- applied anthropology, cultural anthropology, ethnography, other
- Area(s) of Expertise
- ecological anthropology, landscape and culture, ethnobotany, historical ecology, environmental education
- Most Recent Degree
- MS
- Current Area of Employment
- doctoral candidate in the field
L. Jen Shaffer's Photos
L. Jen Shaffer's Blog
My Other Blog
If anyone finds this page and would like to know more about me and my research, I would suggest visiting my Blog at:
Green Chicken Diaries: An Anthropologist's Adventures in Mozambique
I can't keep up more than one blog. :-( I am too busy chasing down informants in the field. ;-)
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ContinuePosted on May 7th, 2007 at 8:26am —
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Just returned from 3 glorious weeks Stateside and am now trying to unbury my inbox from too many mail messages. Once that's done I can finally think about research and writing again.
I have a friend who's just started in Georgia- David Meeks- if you go back while he's there say hi for me!
The heron I found on my uncle's hard-drive. Not sure where it was taken. I don't have a photo of myself to hand, and the bird is in any case more pleasant on the eyes.
Jed
The situation is a lot worse in Japan, the country where I used to work in before coming to France. The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare receved attention in the press recently, when he mentioned that "women are child-bearing machines". I am surprised to hear that in your opinion, the situation in the US does not seem to be that great.
Lisa
Jed
PS -- I will become less gray once this semester is over.