Ben Gardner

Ben Gardner is an Associate Professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at the University of Washington Bothell, where he serves as Faculty Coordinator for Global Studies. He also chairs the African Studies Program in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and holds an adjunct position as Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at UW Seattle. His academic work bridges cultural studies, geography, and environmental politics with a primary focus on African contexts.

Dr. Gardner earned his B.A. in Anthropology from Connecticut College, followed by an M.E.S. from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and completed his academic training with a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley. His teaching philosophy centers on creating student-centered classrooms where students actively engage as ethnographers and critical thinkers, examining relationships among culture, power, and political-economic change.

His research program focuses on three interconnected areas: the cultural politics of the environment, the political economy of development, and the post-colonial state. Through ethnographic research on transnational and trans-local aspects of development, Gardner illuminates how grounded struggles shape global phenomena. His work primarily examines Tanzania, investigating the complex intersections of tourism, conservation policies, land rights, and community politics, particularly among Maasai communities.

Gardner's publications reveal a consistent scholarly trajectory examining how global conservation efforts and tourism are deeply embedded in local political and cultural contexts. His research challenges simplistic narratives about environmental protection and development, highlighting the political dimensions of landscape commodification and the enduring influence of colonial discourses on contemporary conservation practices.

• University of Washington Bothell Distinguished Teaching Award (2014)
• University of Washington undergraduate research mentor award (2017)

As an educator, Gardner has received significant recognition for both teaching excellence and mentoring undergraduate research. He teaches diverse courses including Africa on Film, Globalization, Environmental Politics, and Critical Perspectives on Ecotourism in Tanzania. His commitment to public scholarship is evident through his work with the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, where he presents on topics related to tourism, conservation, and cultural politics.

Currently, Gardner is working on projects examining how social media influences conservation ideas and policies, as well as collaborating on 'Pedagogies of Reciprocity,' which investigates the political economy and cultural politics of study abroad in higher education, building on his critical perspective about the 'romance of study abroad' experiences.