Eric Hirsch

Eric Hirsch is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Franklin & Marshall College. His research focuses on the intersections of economic growth, climate change, and Indigenous communities in regions like the Andes and the Maldives. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of Chicago (2016), with earlier degrees from Columbia University and the University of Chicago.

Key research areas include adaptation projects, resilience infrastructure, and the political dimensions of climate change. His 2022 book Acts of Growth examines development dynamics in Peru’s Colca Valley. Hirsch has received significant grants, including a 2024 Mellon Foundation award for $500,000 to study agricultural futures, and prior fellowships from the Wenner-Gren Foundation and Fulbright-Hays programs.

His work bridges anthropology and environmental studies, addressing topics like climate migration, Indigenous advocacy, and neoliberal sustainability frameworks. Recent projects include collaborative research on climate impacts with the LICCI Network and studies on convivial conservation in Brazil. Hirsch has held teaching awards at the University of Chicago and actively engages in interdisciplinary initiatives linking Lancaster’s local communities with global environmental challenges.

Award highlights include the Mellon Foundation’s Hanna Holborn Gray Dissertation Fellowship ($60,000), a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Grant ($25,000), and the University of Chicago’s Wayne C. Booth Prize for Teaching Excellence.