Paul Ciccantell

Paul Ciccantell is Professor of Sociology at Western Michigan University and former director of the Kercher Center for Social Research (2007-2017). His scholarship examines global economic systems and resource politics.

Research focuses on:

• Commodity chains and labor exploitation in global capitalism
• Ecologically unequal exchange between nations
• Resource frontiers and extractive industries
• Migration patterns linked to extraction economies

Notable publications include Made in Baja and award-winning analyses of Japan's economic ascent. Ciccantell has served as NSF Program Director and leads research on Amazon's labor practices and energy transitions.