Mario Blaser

Mario Blaser is a Professor cross-appointed to the Department of Anthropology and Geography at Memorial University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He previously held the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Aboriginal Studies (2009-2019). His research centers on political ontology, examining conflicts between Indigenous worldviews and development paradigms through decolonial and pluriversal frameworks.

Blaser's theoretical work develops critical approaches to environmental conflicts where Indigenous relations with 'spirit owners' of resources clash with state resource management. He investigates how realities are resolved through colonial imposition and explores non-colonial conflict resolution. His ethnographic research in Paraguay and Labrador analyzes how conservation and development projects affect Indigenous sovereignty.

Recent publications demonstrate deep engagement with cosmopolitics and ontological multiplicity. Key themes include rethinking the Anthropocene through situated political dispositions, analyzing how 'worlds' emerge through relational practices, and theorizing alternatives to universalizing modernity. Methodologically, his work combines philosophical rigor with ethnographic sensitivity to Indigenous onto-epistemologies.

He received the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Aboriginal Studies (2009-2019) for advancing decolonial scholarship. His concept of 'political ontology' provides analytical tools for understanding power dynamics in environmental governance.

As Graduate Officer, Blaser mentors students examining Indigenous autonomy, environmental justice, and intercultural knowledge systems. Future work continues developing frameworks for pluriversal coexistence beyond colonial hierarchies.