environmental anthropology | department of sociology & anthropology | north carolina state university
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Anthropology, University of Oregon 2003
jerry_jacka@ncsu.edu
As an environmental anthropologist, my research is primarily centered on Pacific Islanders living in montane tropical rain forests. I have been working since 1998 in and around the Porgera valley of highlands Papua New Guinea among Ipili and Enga speakers. Highlands PNG has generated considerable anthropological interest and theorization due to the complex linkages of ecology, politics, ritual, and social organization that are central to the cultures of this region. These topics have gained a new saliency in the context of resource exploration and development (mining, petroleum, and timber), climate change, and conversion to Christianity -- all areas of interest to me which can be further explored through my publications and research pages.
More recently I have begun research projects in Africa on natural resource management, conservation, and agriculture.